Questions about Syria FREAS1. History of the demonstrations. When did the protests start? Why did they start? The protests began on March 15, 2011. Syrian President Bashar Assad boasted that a revolution would never take place in his country, unlike its close neighbors Egypt and Tunisia. President Bashar al-Assad was wrong, however. His country was affected by the ever-expanding Arab Spring/Insurrection.b. How did the government react? The government cracked down on the protesters, killing six demonstrators and injuring many others. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the mayor and the head of the security police. Police then responded to the protests by opening fire on the crowd. President Bashar Assad later apologized and offered condolences to the families of those killed.c. Identify at least two other major events and government responses.i. A chemical weapons attack against rebels in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21, 2013, killed 1,429 people, including 426 children. The vast majority of these people were not rebels and in no way involved in the conflict, and yet they were still killed.ii. Friday April 22, 2011 is the bloodiest day of the revolution. Demonstrators/rebels protesting against President Bashar al-Assad seized a tower used as a base for pro-Gaddafi snipers. In response, government troops opened fire on protesters, killing up to 20 people. Identify two international responses that seem significant.i. The international response to Syria's use of chemical weapons against its population was (once proven) very strong, swift and negative. The United States has even threatened to launch military airstrikes against the Syrian government, until middle of paper...... five international organizations (e.g. Arab League, UN, NATO, etc. ) or other countries been involved in events in your country? If yes, how? (Categorize/generalize part of the involvement.) The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is involved, as is the United Nations, as they have a global ban on chemical weapons. Several members of the International Committee of the Red Cross were also taken hostage, but were later released.b. What has been the position of the United States regarding the events in your country? The United States has been very concerned about this conflict from the beginning, but is reluctant to get involved in another war. The United States did threaten to attack Syria after the chemical attack, but is suspending its attacks until the Russian diplomatic plan mentioned earlier can be tested..