What Would You Take?

Salma (name changed) fled Syria with the ring her mother
gave her on her death bed more than 80 years ago.

Posted By: Jeff McKown

In March 2011 the Syrian people began to gather and demand the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled their country for forty years. After the government responded to the protests by open firing on demonstrators, the uprising grew into a full-fledged civil war.

In the two years since, more than 70,000 people have lost their lives in the civil war, and more than one million Syrians have sought refuge in other countries.

Imagine that tomorrow you were forced to flee your home. You can take almost nothing with you. What would you take?

Photographer Brian Sokol posed that question to refugees from Syria, Sudan, and other troubled spots around the globe. Some of the profound images his question generated are shown below.

Alia (name changed), fled Daraa, Syria with her wheelchair.
Image: Brian Sokol 

May (name changed), fled Damascus, Syria with her bracelets.
Image: Brian Sokol

Ahmed (name changed), fled Syria with his cane.
Image: Brian Sokol

Ahmed Sadik, fled his village in Sudan with his pet monkey.
Image: Brian Sokol

You can see Brian Sokol's complete (and stunning) photo essay here.

Fleeing Violence and Civil War in Syria

Syrian boy standing on mattresses at
the school where his family lives.
Photo: Jamal Saidi / Reuters

As the violence escalates between brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad and the armed rebel resistance, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are fleeing their country and crossing borders into Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and other middle east nations.

It's hard to imagine the awful conditions and pervasive fear that must preclude such a mass evacuation.

What would lead people to pack up their entire families and flee their homes, with nothing ahead but the promise of poverty and hunger in hastily-erected tent cities in hostile neighboring countries?

Exodus is a heart-breaking hardship for those who flee their homelands, and a stressful and disruptive burden to the communities that must absorb them, particularly when resources may already be scarce.

This compelling Reuters photo slideshow reminds us of the real impact of civil war on a nation's people, not with graphic photos of war or violence, but with unique images of refugee life, some that capture sadness, and some that glimpse our fundamental human resilience and adaptability.

Turn of Phrase - Clinton's Tough Talk On Syrian Massacre Is Only a Good Start

Mass grave in Houla, Syria
Photo: Reuters

"Those who perpetrated this atrocity must be identified and held to account. The United States will work with the international community to intensify our pressure on Assad and his cronies, whose rule by murder and fear must come to an end."

- From Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after learning details of the government-sanctioned massacre of more than 100 civilians in the Syrian city of Houla.

In light of United Nations reports that at least 49 children and 34 women were included among the dead, and recognizing that random artillery shelling, as well as point-blank shootings, were the methods used to murder the Syrian civilians, Secretary Clinton's tough talk is a good start, but it must be followed up by timely and decisive action.

Diplomatic officials are expected to exercise caution with their words, but there's no need to tread lightly when addressing the dictatorial regime of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, who in Houla has sanctioned the execution-style murder of entire families in their own homes.

The United States has joined several European governments in expelling the top Syrian diplomat remaining in Washington, and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has indicated that American forces are ready to act, if asked to do so.

As with Clinton's words, these actions are steps in the right direction. Now the Obama administration must move with urgency to take an authoritative leadership role in influencing Russian policy towards Syria, which is currently favorable to Assad. With Russia on board, the United States, together with its U.N. allies, can then employ the tactics needed to arm opposition forces and empower the people of Syria to bring an end to Assad's reign of terror.

When President Obama made the decision to actively involve the U.S. in the toppling of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, he was reportedly motivated, in part, by the story of former President Bill Clinton's biggest regret. On more than one occasion, Clinton has apologized for the most significant policy mistake of his presidency - failure to intervene in the Rwandan genocide of the mid-90s, an event that resulted in the killing of more than 800,000 people.

As President Obama and Secretary Clinton develop and guide American foreign policy regarding the looming civil war in Syria, they should be reminded, once again, of the story of Rwanda in 1994. Caution and prudence may be diplomatic virtues, but when thousands of civilians are being ruthlessly murdered by their own government, an abundance of patience can be deadly.


Click here to see more opinions and video of the attack on Houla. Be forewarned, the video is gruesome and includes images of some of the children killed in the attack. I couldn't watch it for more than 30 seconds, and I felt it was too horrific to post directly on my blog. Nonetheless, it's part of the truth of what is happening in Syria and should be shared.

The Powerful Funeral of a Syrian Graffiti Artist

Nour Hatem Zahra - Syrian Activist
Art Work: Courtesy of his friends

When the Arab Awakening began picking up steam last spring, the people of Syria hoped to rid themselves of brutal dictator Bashar Assad in a fairly timely fashion, just as their Arab brethren in Egypt and Tunisia had ousted their corrupt leaders. 

Instead of fleeing in exile or peacefully transitioning power though, Assad and his supporters dug in. They began to arrest, torture, and murder those who opposed them. And when the opposition began to organize mass demonstrations, with protestors in numbers too great for arrest and detention, security forces began to open fire on them.

Nour Hatem Zahra was one of the thousands of Syrian anti-government activists. Known as "the spray man," the 23 year-old Zahra used spray paint and graffiti to spread the message of revolution and opposition. In 2011, he was apprehended by the government, and his anti-Bashar graffiti landed him in jail for two months. Upon his release, Zahra proved to be undeterred, and the defiant artist quickly returned to his work on the walls of Damascus.

Zahra was shot and killed by Syrian security forces last week, an action that has subsequently elevated the popular activist to the status of martyr. The video clip below contains powerful images from Zahra's funeral celebration: anti-government protestors pouring into the streets by the thousands, carrying signs, dancing, chanting in unison, and looking bold, committed, and unafraid.

As I watched the striking images, I came to the realization that this is what revolution looks like.