Syrianwas once part of the Ottoman Empire, but thenpeople suffered hardships and longed to govern themselves. After World War I, Syria wasnestablished as a French “mandate,” which means that the land andnpeople were still under foreign control. Finally, after World War II, the nation gainednindependence in 1946.
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nButnSyria’s problems were far from over. A series of coups, coup attempts, and militarynleaders shook the nation. There was a lot of conflict, and thenpromise of representative government, written into Syria’snconstitution, was unfulfilled. n
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nOnnthis day in 1970, Hafez al-Assad led a bloodless military overthrownand brought some stability to Syria. In honor of Assad’s “corrective”nmovement and stability, this holiday was supposed to be celebratednwith joy and hope. However, the reality is that Assad ruled Syrianwith authoritarian control, and open criticism of his government wasnrepressed. After 30 years of his rule, when he died, his son wasnelected president—but he ran unopposed. That doesn’t sound veryndemocratic, does it?
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SincenMarch of 2011, Syria has been shaken by uprisings and a civil war, asnpeople have protested their government’s iron rule and demandednrepresentative democracy in actuality, not just in the constitution.nJust this month, an umbrella organization called the NationalnCoalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces has beennrecognized as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people bynmany nations, including most Arab nations, France, the U.K., and thenU.S. n
SincenMarch of 2011, Syria has been shaken by uprisings and a civil war, asnpeople have protested their government’s iron rule and demandednrepresentative democracy in actuality, not just in the constitution.nJust this month, an umbrella organization called the NationalnCoalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces has beennrecognized as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people bynmany nations, including most Arab nations, France, the U.K., and thenU.S. nn
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nWillnanyone be celebrating “Correction Movement Day,” this year?nMaybe. After all, the younger Assad, Bashar al-Assad, is still the president andnstill has most of the power. n
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HappiernSyrian stuff…
HappiernSyrian stuff…n
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nChecknout Azlin Ahmad’s beautiful photos of Syria.
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nCorinthian Travel does not currently offerntours of Syria (naturally, given the civil war raging there!), butnits website of 10 best tourist sites still promises that someday,npeople will once again be able to safely travel there…
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A Taste of Syria offers three free sample recipes.
A Taste of Syria offers three free sample recipes. n
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nAlsonon this date:
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International Tolerance Day
International Tolerance Day n
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nAnniversary of the crowning of Jadwiga, a 10-year-old girl, as King of Poland (!)
