Why were there pro-government rallies in most of the country’s cities at the end of March 2011?

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We cover the events of March 2011, including Assad’s first speech since the start of the troubles, in which he blames foreign elements, sacks his cabinet, and points the finger at Al Jazeera, the satellite television network based in Qatar – which leads us to some talk about Qatar, their history, their recent troubles, their relationship with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, and their support of the Muslim Brotherhood.

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We talk more about the diplomatic cable, written in 2006 by William Roebuck, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Damascus, that talked about ways the U.S. could help overthrow the Assad regime. It was later leaked by Wikileaks. We cover his comments about how the U.S. could use former Syrian vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam to help destabilise the Assad regime. And we also cover the claims of General Wesley Clark, a retired General of the United States Army, Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, and a Presidential candidate 2004, that the U.S. has had regime-plans for Syria dating back as far as 1991 and certainly since 9/11. Then we talk about the beginnings of “Arab Spring” and how it started in Syria.

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Then 9/11 happened. In 2003, despite their history with Iraq during the first Gulf War, the Assad government opposed the United States’ invasion and occupation of Iraq. But that didn’t stop the USA from using Syria as one of the main places where they sent their “ghost detainees” as part of a program known as “extraordinary rendition”. One of those detainees sent to Syria for torture was Canadian citizen Maher Arar. We also talk about the Kurds and the Druze, two minorities who play a large role in the civil war. And we also talk about the diplomatic cable, written in 2006 by William Roebuck, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Damascus, that talked about ways the U.S. could help overthrow the Assad regime. It was later leaked by Wikileaks.

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When Hafez al-Assad died in June 2000 he was succeeded by his youngest son Bashar as President and Syrian Regional Branch head. He was 35 years old. He later ran unopposed in an election, receiving 97.29 percent of the vote. Sounds legit to us. Early in his Presidency, The Damascus Spring happened – some reforms, followed by a brutal crackdown.

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We cover the last few decades of Hafez Al-Assad’s Presidency of Syria, including his support for America’s war on Iraq in 1991 and his brother Rifaat’s attempt at a coup.

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In this episode we continue to discuss the Lebanese civil war, the founding of the PLO (the Palestinian Liberation Organisation), Fatah, Hezbollah and the quick version of the Lebanese civil war from its genesis in 1975, how Syria got involved, right up until Syria was forced to leave the country in 2005 under mysterious circumstances.

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In this episode we discuss the Lebanese civil war which raged from 1975 – 1990 and claimed the lives of 120,000 people, with another 1,000,000 refugees. Syria played a huge role and their forces stayed in control of the country until 2005. We also explain a little about the “Eisenhower Doctrine” and the Suez Crisis that inspired it.

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In this episode we examine the US’ response to the OPEC oil sanctions of 1973. Kissinger promised to negotiate a settlement between Israel and Syria which was enough for Assad to convince Arab oil producers to lift the embargo in March 1974. But at the same time, and this was a closely held secret until 2016, Washington began negotiating with the Saudis, offering them technical support, military hardware and training, in exchange for petrodollars and, most importantly, assurances that there would never again be another oil embargo. Today the Saudi’s officially hold $117 billion of U.S. Treasury debt, making them one of America’s largest foreign creditors. We also continue the short version of Hafez Al-Assad’s reign, including the infamous 1982 insurrection in Hama lead by the Muslim Brotherhood, which lead to the Hama Massacre.

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Part 5 of our Syria series looks at the era of Hafez Al-Assad, 1970 – 2000. His rise through the ranks of the military, becoming a general in the air force, defense minister, and finally President after his own coup. His wars against Israel and his role in the OPEC crisis of 1973 which brought the economy of the world crashing down.

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