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The Syrian War: What Does It Take The Syrian War: What Does It Take
(about 3 hours later)
On March 16, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave a speech in Tokyo marking this year’s 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The world institution, he said, “was created after the Second World War to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. We have to acknowledge that that vision by our founding fathers of the United Nations has not been fully realized.”On March 16, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave a speech in Tokyo marking this year’s 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The world institution, he said, “was created after the Second World War to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. We have to acknowledge that that vision by our founding fathers of the United Nations has not been fully realized.”
March 16 also marked the four-year anniversary of the start of the conflict in Syria.March 16 also marked the four-year anniversary of the start of the conflict in Syria.
The war began after the government of President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on peaceful pro-democracy protests. The conflict gradually took on a sectarian character, with members of the Sunni majority opposing the Shiite Alawites around the president. Outside powers began supporting various armed groups, and extremist organizations like the al-Qaeda-aligned al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State took advantage of the chaos, seizing large amounts of territory.The war began after the government of President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on peaceful pro-democracy protests. The conflict gradually took on a sectarian character, with members of the Sunni majority opposing the Shiite Alawites around the president. Outside powers began supporting various armed groups, and extremist organizations like the al-Qaeda-aligned al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State took advantage of the chaos, seizing large amounts of territory.
Millions of Syrians have been displaced as the war has dragged on, but humanitarian groups worry that the world’s attention has turned elsewhere.Millions of Syrians have been displaced as the war has dragged on, but humanitarian groups worry that the world’s attention has turned elsewhere.
In the secretary general’s own words in Japan last week, “There is no more painful example of the failure of collective action of the United Nations than the conflict in Syria, now in its fifth year. More than 220,000 people have been killed.”In the secretary general’s own words in Japan last week, “There is no more painful example of the failure of collective action of the United Nations than the conflict in Syria, now in its fifth year. More than 220,000 people have been killed.”
Many people have trouble visualizing death tolls when the numbers get so large. To help you, the image below is made of exactly 220,000 dots. Each dot being one life snuffed out by the conflict in Syria. Many people have trouble visualizing death tolls when the numbers get so large. To help you, the image above is made of exactly 220,000 dots. Each dot being one life snuffed out by the conflict in Syria.
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