these are dangerous times. very dangerous times. syria is the tinneder b ee eer box above have a war can begin. it is remarkable that in 2018 we are still talking about a divided world when you understand what has been going on in syria. i want you for a minute to forget iran, forget russia, forget america, forget the geopolitics of the whole thing and remember the scope and horror of the syrian civil war as it seems that this sometimes fades into the background. i want the show you just how devastating this is for the people of syria. this conflict, as bill just mentioned, started in the spring of 2011, march of 2011, riding the so-called arab spring that swept through north africa and the middle east. peaceful demonstrations began against assad rule.