Peaceful protests have persisted across Syria over the past 14 months despite President Assad’s deployment of tanks, snipers and pro-regime thugs to quash dissent.
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The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 civilians have been killed since March 2011, with thousands more injured or imprisoned.
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There are 65,000 Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and 300,000 internally-displaced civilians fleeing the regime’s crackdown.
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Homs, Syria’s third largest city and the epicenter of the unrest, has been ravaged by a government siege and almost daily bombardment.
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Syria’s economy has been devastated by the unrest, as well as tough sanctions applied by the United States and the European Union.
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Assad has tried to paint a picture of normalcy by holding parliamentary elections and a constitutional referendum, both dismissed by the opposition as a sham.
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Assad’s dwindling circle of allies, which includes Russia, Venezuela, Iran and Hizballah, has provided him military, economic and diplomatic support.
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Assad’s security forces face localized militias and army defectors operating under the umbrella of the “Free Syrian Army.”
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The U.N. General Assembly has condemned Syria’s human rights violations and called on President Assad to step down.
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A cease-fire declared by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on April 12 has failed to halt the bloodshed, as regime forces continue to attack opposition strongholds.
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U.N. observers who arrived in Syria on April 15 to monitor the cease-fire have proven little deterrent to government attacks.
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Multiple car bombings, including a May 10 attack in Damascus that killed at least 55 people, have fueled fears that militant Islamist groups have infiltrated the uprising.
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