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Understanding Syria And The Human Toll Of A Deadly Civil War

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Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Syrian civil war is the deadliest conflict so far this century. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and cities destroyed, creating millions of refugees. We get a clearer picture of what’s happening in Syria.

Syria is six years into a deadly civil war - the deadliest conflict so far in the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed amid the fighting. Millions have been displaced from their homes as whole cities and towns have been obliterated in the fighting. It's a conflict that's fueled the rise of extremist groups and led to a refugee crisis with people fleeing the war-torn country.

Until recently, the U.S. has taken a relative hands-off approach, confining its involvement to the fight against ISIS forces taking advantage of the situation there. As the Trump Administration weighs future options, we try to get a clearer picture of Syria, the unrest there, the destruction and the people being impacted.

Mike Collins talks with experts on the region and we meet a Syrian refugee.

Guests

Charles Kurzman - Professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

John Cox - Associate professor of international studies, director of UNC Charlotte Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies

Zubair Rushk - Syrian refugee. He left the country in 2005 when he sought asylum in Lebanon. He came to America through the U.S. refugee resettlement program in 2010. He is now a U.S. citizen and a student at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Event info

Our guests will participate in a public discussion at UNC Charlotte Center City on Tuesday, April 18th at 6:30 as part of the 'Witness in Residence Initiative.' Free and open to the public. Details here.

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Erin Keever is Senior Producer of WFAE's Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. She has been with the show since joining the station in 2006. She's a native Charlottean.