Syria
Civil War
The Syrian Civil War began in March 15th, 2011 and is still continuing to this day. According to BBC News the Civil War began when, "The unrest triggered nationwide protests demanding President Assad's resignation. The government's use of force to crush the dissent merely hardened the protesters' resolve." The main conflict stemmed from protesters that are pro-democracy and the others that do not want democracy. The Civil War has caused the huge migration of Syrian refugees into the neighboring countries like Lebanon and Jordan to take in huge masses of people. By June 2013, the UN said that "90,000 has died by August 2014 that figure had doubled - and continued to climb to 250,000 by August 2015. "
"Syria: The Story of the Conflict." BBC News. Middle East, 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868>
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Terrorism + Gang Violence
ISIS, " evolved into an organized and structured extremist organization that is in the process of consolidating its power as a government within the Islamic Caliphate also known as Islamic State has been terrorizing people on a global scale." This terrorist group has trained child soldiers and has taken base in a city in Syria. This group has also been one of the causes of the mass migration of refugees into the EU and neighboring countries. This conflict in the area has caused all the gang groups to escalate into complete chaos. Currents the factions dividing the group are the strong beliefs in religion and the fight over Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
"Islamic State (IS) / Islamic State of Iraq and Ash Sham (ISIS) / Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS or ISIL, IS)." Terrorist Research and Analysis Consortium, n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. <http://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/islamic-state-islamic-state-iraq-and-ash-sham-isis-islamic-state-iraq-isis-or-isil>.
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Saudi Arabia
Wars
The last war was the Al-Wadiah War in 1969 where it was Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and South Yemen. however currently, Iran and Saudi Arabia declared to cease diplomatic relations which is usually done before a war. This is due to the execution of a cleric who Iran thought the style of death sentence was too extreme. There are no child soldiers or are there any troops deployed however many of the world are expecting a cold war if the conflicts between Iran and Saudi Arabia continue. The article explains that, "Neither side shows any sign of backing down. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised “divine justice” after al-Nimr was executed. Saudi Arabia’s monarchy, meanwhile, put out the word through allies that “enough is enough” and that it would no longer hesitate to stand up to Iran."
Cambanis, Thanassis. "Iran and Saudi Arabia Double down on a Cold War Neither Can Win." Newsweek, 8 Jan. 16. Web. 8 Jan. 16. <http://www.newsweek.com/iran-and-saudi-arabia-double-down-cold-war-neither-can-win-413623>.
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Terrorism + Gang Violence
As the Iranian government begins to take action due to their protesters, there are not many gangs in Saudi Arabia. However, because they have such a booming oil industry, there are many oligarchs that invest in that industry. There is also a high amount of drug, human, and weapon trafficking. With regards to terrorism, there is nothing recent but there are tensions that are sparked between Iran and Saudi Arabia due to the Shiite and Sunni Muslims discourse.
Botelho, Greg, and Nic Roberston. "Iran-Saudi Tensions: 6 Nations Label Embassy Attack Terrorism." CNN, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/09/middleeast/saudi-arabia-iran-tensions/>.
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Current Event
This is the event where there was a huge stampede at Mecca which is where Muslims are encouraged to take a trip to annually. This was a huge issue in that, "The official Saudi toll of 769 people killed and 934 injured has not changed since 26 September, and officials have yet to address the discrepancy." This huge count of people who died from this caused more tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia to spark. This tragedy was blamed on the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdul Aziz for not regulating and policing this more strictly. The Catholic Social Teaching on this would be to mourn the deaths and not place blame because we need to respect other religions. Not only do we need to respect others but also not to take extreme actions and potentially create a larger conflict by entering another cold war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hajj-stampede-death-toll-rises-to-2177-a6700971.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hajj-stampede-death-toll-rises-to-2177-a6700971.html
Gambrell, Jon. "Hajj Stampede Death Toll Rises to 2,177." Independent, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hajj-stampede-death-toll-rises-to-2177-a6700971.html>.