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Introduction to Syria
Government and Leaders –
The Syrian Arab Republic is under an authoritarian regime.
In the executive branch there is both a president and a prime minister. The current chief of state is President Bashar al-Asad and the current head of government is Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi. The legislative branch is the unicameral People’s Assembly which consists of 250 seats, who are elected by popular vote to serve four years. The judicial branch contains the highest courts and subordinate courts. The highest courts are organized by crime and have 3 judges. They have a mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law.
There are three parties:The Free Syrian Army, The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution, and The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
Currency –
The currency is the Syrian pound. It can be subdivided into 100 qirsh. The exchange rate from the Commercial Bank of Syria is over 200 Syrian pounds to 1 US dollar.
The following graphs are from here.
The Syrian Arab Republic is under an authoritarian regime.
In the executive branch there is both a president and a prime minister. The current chief of state is President Bashar al-Asad and the current head of government is Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi. The legislative branch is the unicameral People’s Assembly which consists of 250 seats, who are elected by popular vote to serve four years. The judicial branch contains the highest courts and subordinate courts. The highest courts are organized by crime and have 3 judges. They have a mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law.
There are three parties:The Free Syrian Army, The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution, and The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
Currency –
The currency is the Syrian pound. It can be subdivided into 100 qirsh. The exchange rate from the Commercial Bank of Syria is over 200 Syrian pounds to 1 US dollar.
The following graphs are from here.
Population, Ethnicity and Religion –
As of July 2013 there were 22,457,336. Over 90% of which are Arabs. Kurds, Armenians and others make up the other almost 10%. Sunni Muslims is the dominant religion with 74% of the nation following it. 16% are of other Muslim religions. That leaves around 10% as Christian. |
A Brief History - Syria has a long and detailed past. However it wasn't until just after WWI that the biggest Arab nation that came from the Ottoman empire. Syria gained its independence on April 17th 1946. Syria had a number of coup d'etats from its independence until Hafez Al Assad took power, these left the country very unstable. Syria attempted to join with Egypt allowing the Egyptian President to become the president of Syria, however this only lasted from 1958-1961. It was then that Syria was at its weakest point, and it was then that Hafez Al Assad until 200 whe he abruptly died and his son Bashar Al assad, followed in his footprints and has remained in power to this day.
Summary of Rebel Groups and conflict - Syria has a total of 1000 armed opposition groups, making up almost 100,000 rebels. The largest rebel group is the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, however the Syrian Islamic Liberation is a close second. The majority of these rebel groups are extreme jihad groups of the Sunni Muslim faction. There are may coalitions within these rebel groups in Syria, however one common goal is the removal of Assad from power. If these groups were ever to join forces and fight Assad, Assad's regime would not stand a chance however, the dissenting agendas of the groups keep them from uniting. Some of the groups are currently working to find common goals to rise up against Assad's regime. The core issue of the conflict comes from the sunni vs. shia underlying issue and the difference in agenda between the opposition groups and Al Assad.
Political Boundaries - Lebanon and Israel are Syria's neighbours to the west, with Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, and Jordan to the south.
Major Resources - Syria has strong Petroleum deposits.They also have Phosphate, Magnesium, Iron, Ore, Rock salt, and Hydro power.
Recent Issues - Syria has had to deal with many chemical weapons attacks. These attacks have left many Syrians dead and many foreign nations point the finger at Al Assad blaming him for killing off the opposition groups in inhumane ways.
Allies - Due to the latest accusations of violated human rights Syria lost certain allies however it has maintained some important and strategic allies. Their main allies are Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Russia and China.
Enemies - Israel is the primary enemy of Syria. There have been countless conflicts between these nations over the years. Syria's relationship with Turkey is also rather delicate as there have been a few rough patches in the past.
Summary of Rebel Groups and conflict - Syria has a total of 1000 armed opposition groups, making up almost 100,000 rebels. The largest rebel group is the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, however the Syrian Islamic Liberation is a close second. The majority of these rebel groups are extreme jihad groups of the Sunni Muslim faction. There are may coalitions within these rebel groups in Syria, however one common goal is the removal of Assad from power. If these groups were ever to join forces and fight Assad, Assad's regime would not stand a chance however, the dissenting agendas of the groups keep them from uniting. Some of the groups are currently working to find common goals to rise up against Assad's regime. The core issue of the conflict comes from the sunni vs. shia underlying issue and the difference in agenda between the opposition groups and Al Assad.
Political Boundaries - Lebanon and Israel are Syria's neighbours to the west, with Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, and Jordan to the south.
Major Resources - Syria has strong Petroleum deposits.They also have Phosphate, Magnesium, Iron, Ore, Rock salt, and Hydro power.
Recent Issues - Syria has had to deal with many chemical weapons attacks. These attacks have left many Syrians dead and many foreign nations point the finger at Al Assad blaming him for killing off the opposition groups in inhumane ways.
Allies - Due to the latest accusations of violated human rights Syria lost certain allies however it has maintained some important and strategic allies. Their main allies are Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Russia and China.
Enemies - Israel is the primary enemy of Syria. There have been countless conflicts between these nations over the years. Syria's relationship with Turkey is also rather delicate as there have been a few rough patches in the past.