What Happened to Syria?

2021 Christmas Special - The First Refugees

We're starting a new holiday tradition, an episode focused on refugees and other humanitarian issues in Syria.

 

As early as 2011, tens of thousands of people were forced to flee the country. Today, more than six million displaced Syrians are demonized by hateful individuals and political movements all over the world.

 

Mesud (@MaybeMesud on Twitter) describes how he and his family were forced to leave Aleppo and the challenges they faced not only during the journey but also while establishing a new life in Turkey.

 

Sources

“Nearly 10,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey,” Yahoo! News

https://web.archive.org/web/20110623163253/https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110617/wl_mideast_afp/syriaviolenceturkeyrefugees_20110617130011

 

Music licensing

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

 

Ultimate Metal by Loyalty Freak

Creative Commons - CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/HYPER_METAL_/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_HYPER_METAL__-_08_ULTIMATE_METAL

Episode 14 - Community Revolution

How do you organize a leaderless movement?

 

The Syrian Revolution was a decentralized movement of localized cells, but enterprising activists still managed to coordinate with each other and reach out to the outside world.

 

We examine how the Local Coordination Committees attempted to create a post-Assad government before speaking to a civil society activist who still resides in Syria. We also speak with Ahmad, an engineer and civil society activist who has spent the last ten years enduring horror after horror and tragedy after tragedy in order to establish a Free Syria.

 

Ahmad is the first guest to call us directly from Syria, where he is currently hiding from both the regime and jihadists. He doesn't have anything good to say about either one, for what it's worth. 

 

Sources

“How the Syrian Revolution was Organized - And How it Unraveled,” by Zaina Erhaim, New Lines Magazine

Syria by Samer N. Abboud

"U.S. Secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show," by Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-backed-syrian-opposition-groups-cables-released-by-wikileaks-show/2011/04/14/AF1p9hwD_story.html

 

Music Licensing

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

 

"Emotional Sad Piano Music" by Mattia Cupelli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44

 

"Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar" by Ibrahim Qashoush

 

"Jannah, Jannah, Jannah," sung by Abdul-Baset al-Sarout

Episode 13 - Alienation (June 13 to June 24, 2011)

Supporters and opponents of the Assad regime are becoming irrevocably alienated from one another, sowing the seeds for a future war between Assad's Syria versus Free Syria.

 

Sources

A Woman in the Crossfire by Samar Yazbek

Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher

The Impossible Revolution by Yassin al-Haj Saleh

The Syrian Revolution by Dr. Yasser Munif

Civil War in Syria by Bakzo, et. al

The Home That Was Our Country by Alia Malek

Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad by Dr. David Lesch

We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman

 

Music Licensing

“Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar” by Ibrahim Qashoush

 

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

 

Fire Away by Forget the Whale

Creative Commons - Attribution-Non Comercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Forget_the_Whale/you-me-talk-now/fire-away-instrumental

 

Genocide by Silent Carrion

Creative Commons - attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international (cc by-nc-nd 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Silent_Carrion/Suprematism_EP_III_Sol/Silent_Carrion_-_Suprematism_EP_III_Sol_-_01_Genocide

 

"Emotional Sad Piano Music" by Mattia Cupelli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44

THE TERROR - Bonus Episode 1 - Navy SEAL, CIA, Firefighter: Jeff Butler Reflects on 9/11 and the War on Terror

Jeff Butler's multifaceted career made him the perfect guest for THE TERROR. A warfighter, a CIA counterterrorism specialist, and now a first responder. His perspective is truly one-of-a-kind. 

 

You can find Mr. Butler on Twitter at @SOFFru1

 

"Deliverance" by Aliaksei Yukhenevich

https://tunetank.com/tracks/3960-deliverance/ 

Episode 12 - The Revolutionaries (Part 2)

There are too many amazing heroes among the Syrians who protested in 2011 to fit into a single episode. This is our second attempt at an ongoing effort to commemorate the heroes of the Syrian Revolution.

 

Ghiath Matar, Fadwa Soleiman, Bassel Shehadeh, a certain iconic goalkeeper-turned-singer from Homs, and other incredible individuals make appearances in this tribute to people whose bravery and sacrifices deserve to be remembered.

 

Thank you to @SubhiXCIV and @proud_damascene for the help you provided with this episode.

 

Sources:

We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman

A Woman in the Crossfire: Diaries of the Syrian Revolution by Samar Yazbek

Burning Country by Robin Yassin-Kassab

“Syrian Christians Feel Pull From Both Sides In Civil War,” The Washington Times

“The Days of Abd al-Basset” al-Jumhuriya.net

“Abdel-Basset al-Sarout: Controversial Singer of Syria’s War,” Al-Jazeera

Music Licensing

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

 

"Emotional Sad Piano Music" by Mattia Cupelli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44

Episode 11 - The Last Straw (May 25 to June 12, 2011)

DISTURBING CONTENT WARNING

 

There is no turning back for Syria after this episode.

 

The Syrian Opposition is nearing its breaking point after months of being massacred, mass-arrested, and mass-tortured by the Assad regime.

 

But all hell breaks loose when the public discovers the torture and murder of 13-year-old Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, leading to the largest protests to take place thus far as well as the first confirmed BATTLE between regime loyalists and armed opposition.

 

Sources:

“We’ve Never Seen Such Horror,” Human Rights Watch

Syria by Dr. Samer N. Abboud

The Fall of the House of Assad by Dr. David Lesch

We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Dr. Wendy Pearlman

My Country by Kassem Eid

No Turning Back by Rania Abouzeid

The Home That Was Our Country by Alia Malek

Assad or We Burn the Country by Sam Dagher

Civil War in Syria by Bakzo, et. al

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

 

Music Licensing:

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

Arrow Arrow by Aglow Hollow

Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/aglow_hollow/Proximate_Laws_Baba_Yaga_Booty_Calls/arrow-arrow

Ultimate Metal by Loyalty Freak

Creative Commons - CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/HYPER_METAL_/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_HYPER_METAL__-_08_ULTIMATE_METAL

Genocide by Silent Carrion

Creative Commons - attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international (cc by-nc-nd 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Silent_Carrion/Suprematism_EP_III_Sol/Silent_Carrion_-_Suprematism_EP_III_Sol_-_01_Genocide

Minisode 1 - Daraa‘s Devastation

Episode 11 - The Last Straw is taking longer than expected to edit. Here's an excerpt to tide everyone over until the full episode is done.

 

Sources Cited:

"We've Never Seen Such Horror" by Human Rights Watch

 

Music Licensing

Genocide by Silent Carrion

Creative Commons - attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international (cc by-nc-nd 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Silent_Carrion/Suprematism_EP_III_Sol/Silent_Carrion_-_Suprematism_EP_III_Sol_-_01_Genocide

 

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys 

Episode 10 - Syrian Kurds and the Revolution

This might be our most controversial episode, yet.

 

What is the relationship between the Assad regime and Syrian Kurds? How did Kurds react to the Syrian revolution? Why is it that a majority of Syrian Kurds came to prefer the YPG over the Free Syrian Army?

 

A lot of it has to do with societal attitudes that go back decades before the Syrian Revolution.

 

Peshmerge is a Syrian Kurd from Aleppo who participated in the 2011 protests and vehemently supported the Syrian Opposition. His opinion changed as the opposition gradually changed from a big tent movement to one dominated by racists and religious fundamentalism.

 

Music licensing:

Come and Get It By Scott Holmes

Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/media-music-mix/come-and-get-it

 

Fragments by Nomyn https://soundcloud.com/nomyn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/l-fragments

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/ndyyIhwojys

 

Genocide by Silent Carrion

Creative Commons - attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international (cc by-nc-nd 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Silent_Carrion/Suprematism_EP_III_Sol/Silent_Carrion_-_Suprematism_EP_III_Sol_-_01_Genocide

UNLOCKED - Bonus Episode 11 - The Northern Revolution

Yusuf was born in Manbij and gave up his job in Latakia to organize protests during the Syrian Revolution.

 

The events of 2011 changed his life forever, resulting in the loss of his freedom (detained twice by the regime, plus once by ISIS) and eventually forcing him to leave Syria in 2015.

 

Music licensing

Fire Away by Forget the Whale

Creative Commons - Attribution-Non Comercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Forget_the_Whale/you-me-talk-now/fire-away-instrumental

THE TERROR - Episode 1 - When Everything Changed (September 11, 2001)

Twenty years ago, the world changed.

 

The Terror is a 12-episode miniseries about 9/11, what led up to it, and it's aftermath. It's the story about how the Cold War led to 9/11 and the War on Terror.

 

Aram Shabanian (@ShabanianAram on Twitter) has extensively researched the events of September 11, 2001 for two decades. He is currently a Non-State Actors Researcher at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy.

 

Music credits

 

"Deep Noise" by Kevin MacLeod 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgB_L7Os5OA 

"Deliverance" by Aliaksei Yukhenevich

https://tunetank.com/tracks/3960-deliverance/ 

"Emotional Sad Piano Music" by Mattia Cupelli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JYHk_D5A44