I'm sure many people have been hearing about the war going on in Syria, especially now during political season. I know that many of us can remember a couple of months ago seeing that sweet little boy in Aleppo, Syria, being carried into the ambulance, from just experiencing an air strike that struck his home.

I had been seeing all these videos on Facebook, hearing about the Syrian refugees, hearing Syria being brought up in politics and I thought to myself, "Okay, obviously there's sh** going down in Syria, but what is actually going on?" I decided to take the leap and start my strenuous research on figuring out what is actually going on in Syria, and WHY.

Overview

Syria has been in a state of civil war for the past five years, beginning in 2011. �The war began between the Syrian regime (under control of their President, Bashar al-Assad) and the “rebels”, who believe that President Bashar al-Assad shouldn’t be in power anymore. The "rebels" first consisted of people of Syria but have escalated to different groups from inside of Syria, and also groups in neighboring countries that have allied together to try to defeat the Assad regime. Under President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, the Syrian government and Syrian central forces have continued to repress and use force against its citizens using chemical weapons and live ammunition during popular protests (most of which were peaceful) and unrest.

It is illegal for any country to use chemical weapons, no matter the circumstances, and was agreed upon with the United Nations, that the use of chemical weapons was too harsh to use under any pretext

�Previous to President Bashar al-Assad’s term, his father, Hafez al-Assad, was president. During his father’s term, Hafez repressed his citizens from the beginning of their family’s rule in 1982, and during his term, he massacred at least 30,000 Sunni protesters in Hama (city in northern Syria), according to the NY Times, which we'll discuss further down.

What events influenced the war?

�In March of 2011, extreme uproar and rage escalated when 15 school children in the Syrian city of Daraa, graffiti-ed anti government material on a wall, and were arrested, tortured, and abused according to the BBC. �Local people protested this occurrence peacefully, asking for the release of the children, and for a better democracy and greater freedom for the people of Syria. �During the protest, the government responded angrily with force, and on March 18, 2011, the Syrian army opened fire on the protesters, killing at least four people, according to the BBC.

�Although the BBC states that only four people were killed, this number cannot be confirmed considering Syrian government sealed off the area to reporters and would not let foreign news media into the country according to the NY Times.

�The following day, the victims’ funeral’s were held, and again, the Syrian soldiers shot at the mourners, killing an additional person. Word spread quickly throughout the country of what was happening, enraging people in all parts of Syria. This was not the first instance of violence, but one of the more prominent ones; the violence had been going on in all parts of Syria, previous to this event. In July of 2012, the International Red Cross declared that the violence had become so widespread that it declared the country in a state of civil war.

War becoming one between religious sects? Why do people say that the current war in Syria has turned into a war between the Sunnis and Alawites?

�Syria is made up of Shi’ite Muslims and Sunni Muslims. Since the beginning of the war 5 years ago, many say that it has become a war between the majority Sunnis on one side and the Shi’ites (with the support of the Alawites) on the other. President Bashar al-Assad is a member of the Alawite minority. �According to the Sunnis, the Alawite minority has gained power by armed forces and by imposing harsh rules like restricting religious education. This restriction over education against the Sunnis suppressed their religious beliefs and their socioeconomic interests.

Considering that 2/3 of Syria’s population consists of Sunnis, the Alawite’s basically alienated their regime from their people (who are majority Sunni). The Alawites are greatly protected considering their president is Alawite. President Bashar al-Assad too, relies heavily on the Alawite citizens to consolidate his power and dynasty, in turn:

�Granting Alawites key positions in the regime and improved their living conditions.

�The previous president, Hafez al-Assad, could not win the allegiance of the Sunni people from the beginning of his rule, which led to rebellions within these two groups. The battle in Hama in 1982 was a the peak of these rebellions, where Alawite troops killed around 30,000 Sunni civilians. Ever since this battle, Syria has been dominated by sectarian divisions. Insecurity within the Alawites emerged after the battle of Hama, because they believed that “the fall of the regime could lead to revenge against their community following the events in Hama”. This created ties between the fate of the Alawites to the Assad regime. Neither side(Sunnis or Alawites) wants to back down and if either one would, there would be repercussions, which is a problem because that means that it will be harder for them to resolve this war.

So what does this mean for the people of Syria now?

Millions of ordinary people in Syria have left their homes in order to find a safer place to live for themselves and their loved ones out of Syria. These people are known as refugees, and the conflicts in Syria have caused one of the largest refugee movements in recent history, according to the BBC. The people who stay in Syria have to run away from the cities to seek safety in the countryside. Many children do not have access to education because either their schools have been destroyed or there are no teachers available in the countrysides to which they flee. Many of the people who seek refuge flee to neighboring nations of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. While some families seek refuge in neighboring countries, many seek refuge in further countries, which can be a very long and dangerous journey. �Europe has said that they will accept Syrian refugees who seek to start a new life there. In September of 2015, a report showed Germany welcoming hundreds of refugees. The Prime Minister of the UK stated that they would accept up to 20,000 people from Syrian refugee camps by 2020. France stated that it would take in 24,000 people. United States? Well.