9781422275795

Introduction N o single event has had a greater impact on the world during the decade of the 2010s than the ongoing civil war in Syria. Syria’s dictator president, Bashar al-Assad, began the war by vio- lently clamping down on protests against his rule.This war, which began on such a small scale, has subsequently grown larger and larger, sucking in world powers and creating a refugee crisis that has threatened to destabilize an entire continent. Assad remains in power as the head of the nation and the Ba’ath Party, the preeminent political party of Syria. Although other political parties exist in Syria, the Ba’ath Party is considered the official party, its authority enmeshed in the national constitu- tion itself, and there is no political party that expresses outright opposition to Assad or the Ba’ath Party policies.The Ba’ath Party is found throughout the Arab world; in principle, its function is to unite different Arab nations into a cohesive whole, though more often it serves as a political placeholder for one-party and one-man rule. Presidential elections do exist in Syria, but most voters are far too afraid of the consequences of voting against Words to Understand Fundamentalist: A political and/or religious ideology based ex- plicitly on traditional orthodox concepts, with total rejection of mod- ern ideas. Jihad: Atermmeaning“holywar,”mostoftenused inthecontextof Islamic fundamentalism and/or terrorism. Militia: A group of volunteer soldiers who do not fight with a military full time. Refugee: A person who leaves their home nation, by force or by choice, to flee from war or oppression. Sanctions: Political and/or economic punishments levied against another nation as punishment for wrongdoing.

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