The History Of Syria In 60 Seconds (Video)

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Israeli Merkava Main Battle Tank (MBT) in Golan Heights Near Syria

Israeli Merkava Main Battle Tank (MBT) taking firing positions in the Isleali controlled part of the Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Bariqa.

Compact Syrian Missiles Boat Fires C-802 Anti-Ship Missile

An unbelievably compact Syrian Missiles Boat Fires C-802 Anti-Ship Missile

Free Syrian Army / Syrian Rebel Fighters in Action

Members of the Free Syrian Army / Syrian Rebel  fighters during a fire fight with the Syrian army which supports the President Bashar Assad.

A Look At The Syrian 'Presidential Palace'

Foreclosure Sale: Syrian Presidential Palace -- Michael Rubin, Commentary

My former Pentagon colleague David Schenker points me to this excellent photo essay compiled by Martin Kramer, who provides great commentary as well. Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.

Now, many American officials convinced themselves that Bashar al-Assad wasn’t such a bad guy; rather, he was the eminently reasonable Western-educated doctor. They argued ferociously in the halls of Congress and in the corridors of the State Department that the problem in U.S.-Syrian relations was simply a lack of dialogue, and that the United States was too shy about doing business with Bashar.

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WNU Editor: The photo gallery starts here.

Arming Syria In The Middle Of It`s Civil War

Syrian tank is seen in a neighborhood of Zabadani, near Damascus, in Syria February 15, 2012. UPI

Weapons Imports To Syria Surged Sevenfold In 10 Years, Report Says -- L.A. Times

Weapons imports to Syria surged nearly sevenfold over the last decade, according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute that tracks arms transfers around the globe.

The institute estimated that Syria imported $152 million worth of weapons between 2002 and 2006, and that that figure grew to more than $1 billion in the last five years as measured in 1990 dollars.

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More News On Supplying Arms To Syria

Report: Syria has big arms import increase -- UPI
Syria arms imports surge, most provided by Russia -- Reuters
Study: Huge increase in Syria's weapons purchases in recent years -- CNN
Report: Syria arms imports surge thanks to Russia -- Bloomberg Buisnessweek
Syria Arms Imports Surge Almost 600%, Most Supplied by Russia -- International Business Times
Arms deliveries to Syria rise 600% in five years -- Business Day
SIPRI: Belarus - Second Largest Supplier of Weapons to Syria -- telegraf.by

Unrest In Syria -- News Updates June 9, 2011

Thousands Enter Turkey To Escape Syria Unrest -- Al Jazeera

More than 2,500 refugees flee unrest in Jisr al-Shughur and other towns as Turkish officials brace for further arrivals.

More than 2,400 Syrians have fled into neighbouring Turkey to escape the unrest in Jisr al-Shughur and other towns, according to the UN and Turkish officials.

Refugees started entering Turkey on April 29, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

But the flow of refugees has increased sharply this week. More than 1,000 people crossed the border in the last 24 hours, the UNHCR said on Thursday.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

2,400 Syrians flee violence, cross into Turkey -- Yahoo News/AP
Syrians flee into Turkey to evade crackdown -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Flood of Syrian refugees heads for Turkey -- Financial Times
Syrian refugees crossing into Turkey -- CNN
Syrian refugees in Turkey: 'People see the regime is lying. It is falling apart' -- The Guardian
Hundreds in Syria flee to Turkey, fearing army assault -- BBC
Rapidly Increasing Number of Syrians Flee to Turkey -- Voice of America
Syrians stream into Turkey, but officials remain wary of refugees’ intentions -- Globe And Mail
Thousands Flee North Syria Town -- Wall Street Journal
Syrians vow more protests as troops converge -- Yahoo News/AFP
Countdown to carnage: Syria slides towards civil war as Britain and France call for UN action -- The Daily Mail
Syrian army prepares to retaliate for security personnel massacre -- RIA Novosti
Reports of Syrian Defections Signal Further Splits -- Voice of America

International Community Turns Up Pressure on Syria -- Voice of America
Syria crisis: UN resolution submitted by UK and France -- BBC
New Move to Condemn Syria in U.N. -- New York Times

Iran protests U.K. claim of Syria support -- UPI
Iran summons UK diplomat over remarks on Syria -- CNN
In Syria, death of tourism most visible sign of major economic damage -- Washington Post

Has Syria's peaceful uprising turned into an insurrection? -- Nicholas Blanford, Christian Science Monitor
Turkey's shift on Syria gives West room to get tougher on Assad -- David Schenker, Christian Science Monitor
The Syrian uprising: The balance of power is shifting -- The Economist

Bloodbath Between Syria’s Various Sects Would Likely Follow If Basher Assad Is Overthrown

''Bloodbath' Would Follow Overthrow Of Assad In Syria' -- Jerusalem Post

Observers tell the 'Post' that like Iraq, Syria’s diverse sects could turn on each other once the regime is gone.

The overthrow of Syrian dictator Basher Assad is not yet imminent, but should it occur, a bloodbath between Syria’s various sects would likely follow, leading Israeli experts on Syria told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

As in neighboring Iraq, Syria’s diverse population – made up of Sunni Muslims, Druse, Kurds and other groups, who are ruled by the minority Alawites – could, upon the collapse of the Assad regime, turn on each other in a bloody civil conflict.

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My Comment: The first sect that would be targeted would be the minority Alawites .... and as for the rest .... it all depends on their past history and geography.

Syria's Military Still Loyal To Assad

Assad Holds Syria Army Despite Sunni-Alawite Divide -- Yahoo News/Reuters

AMMAN (Reuters) – Senior Syrian army ranks are packed with loyal members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, reducing any prospect of military pressure on him to stand aside if protests grow, military experts say.

Unlike the armies in Tunisia and Egypt, whose refusal to confront non-violent demonstrations spelt the demise of their autocratic rulers, the fate of many senior Syrian military officers is closely tied to that of Assad.

Although some officers from the Sunni Muslim majority have been promoted to senior ranks, Sunni influence has been weakened and Assad's brother Maher controls key military units packed with Alawite soldiers.

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Update #1: Syria military's loyalty to Assad seen as airtight -- AJC/AP
Update #2: FACTBOX-Syria's military: what does Assad have? -- Reuters

My Comment: Many believe that the Syrian government will be the next domino to fall in the Middle East .... but I am not that optimistic. The Alawite minority that rules the country know that if they lose power, retribution and revenge will be the order of the day against them. With this thought .... they will use all the military muscle that they have to stop and/or annihilate their opponents. They have done this in the past .... and I have no doubt that present Syrian leaders like Assad will do this again.

Unrest In Syria -- News Updates March 28, 2011

Violence broke out in Latakia over the weekend Photo: REUTERS

Repression Or Reform? Deadly Protests May Force Syria's Assad To Choose. -- Christian Science Monitor

Syria protests are gathering steam, fueled by a cycle of violence, misinformation, and small concessions on the part of the government.

Unrest and violence in Syria spread to different cities this weekend as protesters took to the streets in what is becoming an increasing challenge to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Activists say at least 30 people were shot dead by security forces as hundreds gathered in the southern settlements of Deraa and Sanamein on Friday, which have been focal points of unrest in the past week. The deadly clashes came just hours after a government official announced the president had ordered violence not be used against protesters.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Eyewitness: Gunfire, tear gas in Syrian city -- Yahoo News/AP
Syrian forces fire to disperse Deraa protest -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Syria set to end emergency rule -- Yahoo News/AFP
Syria’s President Assad deploys army -- Washington Post
Syrian troops fire teargas at protesters in Deraa -- The Guardian
Syrian forces shoot over protesters -- News24
Witness: Daraa tense as troops, security forces flood city -- CNN
Syrian Security Forces Fire On Demonstrators -- Radio Free Europe
Security forces fire tear gas at protesters in Syrian city -- USA Today
Syrian forces open fire to disperse protesters -- Deutsche Welle

Syrian Army Called In To Quash Violence In Port City -- NPR
Syria May Ease Martial Law But Troops Still Fire Toward Protesters -- NPR
Notables calm sectarian tensions in Syrian city -- Reuters

Reuters journalists freed in Syria -- Reuters
SYRIA: Two journalists missing, U.S. citizens detained during protests -- L.A. Times

Clinton rules out U.S. Syria involvement -- Reuters
Clinton: U.S. Won't Enter Syria Conflict; It's Not Like Libya -- IBTimes
Clinton: No military action in Syria for now -- CBS News

Turkey urges reforms in Syria, dispatches intelligence chief -- Hurriyet
Turkish PM urges Syria over reform demands -- AFP

Is Syria About to Jettison Its Emergency Law? -- Rania Abouzeid, Time
The Syria debate -- Ben Smith, Politico
In Syria, a test for Bashar Assad -- Garrett Therolf and Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times
Syrian violence raises the stakes on Arab upheaval -- Peter Goodspeed, National Post

Unrest In Syria -- News Updates March 27, 2011

Syria 'To Lift Emergency Law' -- Al Jazeera

Syrian government adviser confirms to Al Jazeera that the country's emergency law is to be lifted but fails to say when.

A Syrian government adviser has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the country's emergency law is to be lifted.

Bouthaina Shaaban, an adviser to Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, told Al Jazeera's Cal Perry in the capital Damascus on Sunday the law would "absolutely" be lifted, but failed to give a timetable.

The repeal of the emergency law, in place since the 1963 coup that brought the Baath Party to power, has been a key demand of protesters who have taken to the streets in recent days to demand greater political freedoms.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Syrian president expected to address nation -- CNN
Syria's Assad deploys army in port to keep order -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Syria protests: Evidence that government forces killed protesters -- The Telegraph
Syria buries Latakia victims, emergency law to be lifted -- AFP
Tension and Grief in Syria After Protests and Deadly Reprisals -- New York Times
Deaths as Syria protests spread -- Al Jazeera
Dozens of Syrians reported killed in Daraa -- CNN
Syrian president blames 'armed gangs' as 12 die in violence -- Daily Mail
Report says 12 killed as violence sweeps Syrian port city -- The Guardian
Syrian troops enter key port city of Latakia after 12 killed in protests -- Christian Science Monitor
Syrian police open fire on protesters -- The Telegraph
2 Killed in Anti-Government Unrest in Syria -- Voice of America
Assad aide says Syria to end decades of emergency law, but no timetable set -- Haaretz
Syria: Emergency law to be lifted some day -- UPI
Syria ends 48-year-long emergency law -- Xinhuanet
Syria Asks Reuters Correspondent to Leave Country, Reuters Says -- Bloomberg
Syria unrest may be first step toward deposing Assad -- Haaretz
Repression or reform? Deadly protests may force Syria's Assad to choose. -- Christian Science Monitor
Washington sees pros and cons in Syria turmoil -- Sydney Morning Herald

Bloodshed In Syria -- News Updates March 26, 2011

Syria's Friday Of Dignity Becomes A Day Of Death -- Time Magazine

The accounts of Syria's "Friday of Dignity" are startling — with episodes full of surprising dissent and immediate repression. In Damascus' famed Umayyad mosque, a confrontation reportedly broke out during the imam's sermon just as the cleric blamed Facebook and foreign meddling for the country's week of unrest. As he cautioned that reforms would take time, the imam was interrupted by a worshipper who started chanting "Freedom! Freedom!" and was soon joined by others. "People began flooding outside, running from thugs," a man who was near the mosque told TIME on condition of anonymity. "People [were] running for their life out of the mosque." Video purportedly shot inside the mosque shows a large crowd of men chanting "Freedom!" and punching their right fists into the air before switching tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif "With our souls and with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Dara'a!"

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Syria's Assad faces deep crisis -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Syria pulls troops from restive city after unrest -- Yahoo News/AP
Protests, counter-protests as Syria death toll rises -- Yahoo News/AFP
Facebook group calls for uprisings all over Syria on Saturday -- L.A. Times
Syria turmoil: Political inmates 'freed' after protests -- BBC
Mourners burn Baath headquarters and police station in Syria village -- Haaretz
Syria Regime Rocked by Protests -- Wall Street Journal
'100 protesters killed' as Syria erupts in violence -- The Daily Mail
Syrian Troops Open Fire on Protesters in Several Cities -- New York Times
Protesters fall in deadly hail of bullets: witnesses -- Sydney Morning Herald
Syrian protesters vent their fury -- The Telegraph
Protesters shot as demonstrations expand across Syria -- Washington Post
Dozens feared dead as Syria violence swells -- MSNBC
Dozens reported killed in attacks on Syria protesters -- L.A. Times

Turkey urges Syria to make good on reform promises -- Reuters
U.N., U.S. condemn Syrian protest response -- UPI
Syria protests: US and UN condemn armed crackdown -- BBC

Profile: Bashar al-Assad -- Al Jazeera
With Syria shooting at protesters, Assad now facing revolt -- McClatchy News
Can Bashar al-Assad’s wife prevent further bloodshed in Syria? -- CNN
Syria unrest presents dilemma for Iran -- CBS News
Analysis: Absent more deaths, US wary of Syria involvement -- MSNBC
Protests in Syria: Road to Damascus -- Economist
Is Syria reaching the point of no return? -- Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz
Syria protests: How secure is President Assad? -- Jim Muir, BBC
Ridding Syria of a despot -- Elliott Abrams, Washington Post

Fresh Protests In Syria -- News Updates March 20, 2011

Syria: Fresh Protests In Southern City Of Deraa -- BBC

Thousands of people have been demonstrating for a third consecutive day in the Syrian city of Deraa.

Police tried to disperse protesters in the southern city, and one demonstrator was reportedly killed.

The protesters called for an end to Syria's 48-year-old emergency law, and for the dismissal of officials involved in a crackdown this week, reports said.

Violent clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces on Friday left at least four people dead.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Protests Continue in Syrian Town for 3rd Day -- Voice of America
Arab unrest spreads to Syria, thousands march -- Reuters
'One killed' as police fire on Syria protesters -- AFP
One Reported Shot Dead On Third Day Of Syrian Protest -- Radio Free Europe
One protester killed, 100 injures in Syria -- Press TV (Iran)
Third day of protests in Syria as families mourn dead -- M&C
Popular Protests Spread to Syria, Prompted by Arrest of Children -- AHN
Syria to free child prisoners -- Al Jazeera
Syria to release children who sparked anti-government protests -- Haaretz
Syrian mourners call for revolt, forces fire tear gas -- Reuters
Syrian mourners call for revolt -- Al Jazeera
Syrian forces seal city after clashes kill 5 -- AP
Syria proves not immune to pro-democracy calls -- Haaretz
Uprising in Syria: Assad Begins to Yield to Pressure -- Arutz Sheva
Middle East unrest: Silence broken in Syria -- BBC
Arab Spring: Is a Revolution Starting Up in Syria? -- Rania Abouzeid, Time Magazine

Unrest And Demonstrations Come To Syria -- News Updates March 18, 2011

A screengrab from a YouTube clip purporting to show anti-regime protests in Damascus on March 15, 2011. Al JAzeera

'Days Of Rage' Erupt In Syria -- New York Post

To hear Syrian TV tell it, since Tuesday Damascus has been the scene of "a few insignifi cant incidents" provoked by "a handful of misguided elements."

Perhaps not so "insignificant."

For days, inhabitants of the Syrian capital have seen truckloads of Special Forces brought in to protect official buildings and set up checkpoints at key roads.

And more than just a "handful." Groups of students, families of political prisoners and human-rights activists have engaged in hit-and-run battles with the police in various parts of the city, trying to fan the fires of yet another Arab uprising against despotism.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Syrian TV says security forces, protesters clash -- AP
Clashes erupt at protests in Syria -- Al Jazeera
Syrian forces kill three protesters in southern city -- Reuters
Middle East unrest: Two killed at protest in Syria -- BBC
Syrian forces kill two pro-democracy protesters in southern city -- Haaretz
Several Injured In Syria As Security Forces Clash With Protesters -- RTT News
Protests across Syria after foiled Damascus rally -- Ahram Online
Protests across Syria, report -- Ya Liban
Syrian protesters charged with "weakening morale" -- Reuters
32 protesters held for hurting Syria's 'image': NGO -- AFP
Amnesty condemns Syrian crackdown on protest -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
Syria Should Release All Detained Protesters, Human Rights Says -- Bloomberg
Syrian Security Forces Break Up Damascus Protest -- Voice of America
Syria arrests Damascus protesters -- BBC
In Syria, Demonstrations Are Few and Brief -- New York Times
A historic opportunity for Syria -- The Hill
The Revolution Reaches Damascus -- Foreign Policy

Unrest Reported In Syria

Rare Public Protest Quashed In Syria -- Al Jazeera

Protesters in Damascus call for release of political prisoners in second public display of dissent in as many days.

Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus for a second day running but their demonstration was quickly quashed by security forces, witnesses said.

Around 100 people, mainly relatives of political prisoners, gathered in Marjeh Square on Wednesday calling for the release of their loved ones and an end to emergency laws.

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More News On Unrest In Syria

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest -- Yahoo News/7News
Middle East unrest: Syria arrests Damascus protesters -- BBC
Syrian Security Forces Break Up Damascus Protest -- Voice of America
Rare political protest held in Syria - witnesses -- Reuters
Rights group says Syrian officers break up protest, detain 30 -- Canadian Press
Damascus: Syrian security forces disperse some 150 protesters -- Al Bawaba
Syrian security forces disperse Damascus demo -- AFP
Syrians' Tentative Demonstration -- Mike Giglio, Daily Beast
The Syrian Opposition's Next Move -- Mike Giglio, Daily Beast
Sitting Pretty in Syria: Why Few Go Bashing Bashar -- Rania Abouzeid, Time
Syria’s turn next? -- Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

No "Day Of Rage"Protests In Syria

How Syria Dodged An Egypt-Style 'Day Of Rage' -- Christian Science Monitor

Outside opposition groups had called for protests in Syria over the weekend. Why did only security forces and hopeful journalists show up?

Swaths of plain-clothed security forces and hopeful journalists were the only people gathered at the parliament building in Damascus on Friday and Saturday as protesters failed to respond to calls for demonstrations in the Syrian capital.

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More News On The Unrest In Syria

Syrian Security Forces Crack Down on Rallies -- Wall Street Journal
Syria Escapes 'Day Of Rage' Protests -- NPR/AP
Syria weathers Mideast unrest for now; 'Days of Rage' fail to come off -- Canadian Press
Why the Arab Democracy Wave is Unlikely to Reach Syria — Yet -- Andrew Lee Butters, Time Magazine
Syria Is Not Egypt, but Might It One Day Be Tunisia? -- Aryn Baker, Time Magazine

A "Day Of Rage" In Syria? Most Doubt It

Syria's Day Of Anger? Most Syrians Suspect Few Will Take To The Streets -- Christian Science Monitor

Using Facebook a group has tried to organize a street protest for Friday. The Syrian government appears confident, however, that it can survive the current tumult in the Middle East by clamping down on dissent.

A Facebook group named The Syrian Revolution – set up by expatriates – is calling for protests in various cities throughout the country and at a number of Syrian embassies overseas. More than 13,000 people are virtual members of the online forum.

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More News On Protests In Syria

No-show for anti-Assad demos in Damascus -- RFI
Syria quiet on day of rage -- UPI
Syria: No-Show for ‘Day of Anger' -- Global Voices
Facebook fails to ignite protests in Syria -- AFP
Syria Tightens Security Amid Calls for Protests -- Voice of America
Egypt revolution sympathisers beaten in Syria-HRW -- Reuters
Syria Prevents Peaceful Gatherings, Human Rights Watch Says -- Bloomberg
Regional upheaval 'could spread to Syria' -- AFP
Why the Arab Democracy Wave is Unlikely to Reach Syria — Yet -- Andrew Lee Butters, Time Magazine
Will Syria Come Next? -- David E. Miller, Media Line
What Egypt Means for Syria -- Robert Danin, Council On Foreign Relations
Rage in Syria? -- Adla Massoud, Huffington Post
Could Syria see an uprising like Egypt's? Not likely. -- Nicholas Blanford, Christian Science Monitor
The Syrian Uprising: There isn’t one, and our President isn’t talking about it. -- John Hayward, Human Events

Call For Protests In Syria

Syrians are closely following the events unfolding in Egypt [Credit: Hugh Macleod]

Dissidents Call For 'Day Of Rage' In Syria -- Voice of America

Syrian opposition groups are using social networking sites to call for a "day of rage" protest in the country this week, similar to recent mass gatherings in Tunisia and Egypt.

The activists are demanding reforms from the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who inherited power in 2000 from his father, Syria's ruler for three decades.

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More News On Calls For Protests In Syria

Syrian Opposition Groups Mobilize For Protest On Saturday-Report -- Wall Street Journal
Syrians called to join in anti-government protests -- ABC News (Australia)
Syrian Facebook group calls for peaceful uprising -- AFP
Syrian activists salute Tunisia, Egypt uprisings -- AFP
Syrians quietly enthralled as Egypt's protests unfold -- Gulf News
ANALYSIS-Syrians silently gripped by Arab upheaval -- Reuters
Is Syria next target of reform? -- UPI
The Syrians are watching -- Al Jazeera
Could Syria be the next domino to fall? -- Hugh Macleod, Global post

Syria's President Says His Nation Is Immune From The Unrest Spreading In The Arab World?

Syria's President Says His Nation Immune From Unrest Roiling Egypt, Tunisia -- Canadian Press

BEIRUT — Syria's president, who has resisted calls for political freedoms and jailed critics of his regime, said in an interview published Monday that his nation is immune from the kind of unrest roiling Tunisia and Egypt.

In a rare interview, Bashar Assad was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as acknowledging that the toppling of Tunisia's longtime ruler and the protesters that have left Hosni Mubarak's government teetering in Egypt signalled a "new era" in the Middle East.

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More News On Syria

Middle East must 'upgrade': Syria's Assad -- AFP
Syria's Assad says not changing course after Egypt -- Reuters
Assad says better off than Mubarak -- Ynet News
Assad: Syria in better position than Egypt since it has no ties with Israel -- Haaretz

Assad: Arab world must reform -- UPI
Assad: Protests in Egypt, Tunisia mark 'new era' -- Jerusalem Post
Syria Strongman: Time for 'Reform' -- Wall Street Journal
Interview With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- Wall Street Journal

Syria's Assad says no extra access to nuclear inspectors -- Reuters
Assad Prepares for ‘Day of Rage’ in Syria -- Arutz Sheva
Will Syria's Revolution Be Organized... on Facebook? -- Fast Company
Syria's Assad running scared -- Rick Moran, American Thinker

Reports That Syria's Internet Is Down

Internet Reportedly Down in Syria -- Mashable

On the same day that Egypt has allegedly blocked the Internet, Syria may have made a similar move to silence dissenting voices.

According to Arabic-language website Al Arabiya, the country has suspended all of its Internet services.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Syria had imposed bans on two programs that allow access to Facebook, which had previously been banned in 2007.

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Update #1: Questions arise on whether Syria has followed Egypt on Web crackdown -- The Hill
Update #2: Syria tightens Internet ban after Tunis unrest-users -- Reuters

My Comment: The Syrian government should be concerned. They are one the most vulnerable regimes in the Middle east, and what is happening in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen could easily be happening in Damascus right now.