Product: HUMAN LANDSCAPE
Project: Storymap of Syrian Chemical Attack

Megan Van Patten

Denise Moore

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Human Landscape Demo Webinar | Watch On Demand 

Title
The Human Landscape: Identifying and Understanding Conflict in Syria
Intro
For decades now, the Middle East has endured endless human conflict. Political unrest and religious disputes have led to waves of military coups and sectarian oppression. As international extremists infiltrate the Syrian civil war, it is critical to understand the human elements at play. And in order to understand them, we must first identify them.

Part 1
Syria is physically located in the middle of many Middle Eastern conflicts.

[Map]
Middle East region with Syria in middle
Heat map of HL conflict points for neighboring countries

[Captions as areas are highlighted]
Kurdish-Turkey Conflict
Sectarian divide fueled by extremist groups
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Dominate and opposing powers of the Middle East

[Zoom into Syria]
Identifying populations by demographics, like religion and ethnicity, provides intelligence on potential areas of conflict. It can also reveal insights for conflict and crisis resolution.

[Layers]
Religion
Ethnicity

Part 2
What began as widespread protests against the government, quickly descended into a sectarian civil war. After the government responded with lethal enforcement, the oppressed majority formed an opposition to oust the sitting administration.

[Layers]
Population pre-civil war (Pre March 15, 2011)
Population civil war (March 15, 2011 - Present)
Religion pre-civil war (Pre March 15, 2011)
Religion civil war (March 15, 2011 - Present)
Areas of Conflict

These human data layers may reveal insights into how Syria’s population reacted to the division of power. We can observe the demographics of opposition and government strongholds to determine if religion was a factor, by what margin, and identify other possible factors. Factors that will be critical in distinguishing extremist groups from purely government opposition strongholds.

Part 3
Khan Shaykhun Chemical Attack

[Layers]
Ethnicity

Zoom into Khan Shaykhun

[Layers]
Ethnicity

Scroll text
April 4, 2017, early morning airstrikes release chemical weapons on the town.

A few hours later, more air strikes target local clinics and community buildings.

April 19, 2017 OPCW confirms victims exposed to sarin gas.


Part 4
Why did the Syrian Army target Khan Shaykhun?

[Layers]
Military Points of Interest

Khan Shaykhun has been under the control of opposition leadership since 2015, with no direct relationship with extremist forces. However, the opposition’s general affiliation with international extremists make towns like Khan Shaykhun vulnerable in the global fight against terrorism.

Why did Khan Shaykhun fall under opposition control?

[Layers]
Religion
Majority Sunni 

Text
Does mixed religion profile make it more susceptible to opposition control?

[Layers]

Industry

Text
Does its economic activity make it attractive to the opposition?
Khan Shaykhun is a supplier of raw materials (cotton, wheat, fruits, olives, nuts). And Aleppo has important economic ties in the agricultural region of Idlib, which has been greatly impacted by the war.


Text
Analysis
Applying layers of human data can provide context. Here we can see that a major supply route was targeted to isolate an opposition group. Information like this can help identify additional areas at risk.

[Layers]
Religion mixed
Industry
Supply Route
Violence against Civilians

Part 5

Human Landscape

The best aid in resolving conflict and crisis is having up-to-date facts and insight. By combining geospatial analyses with human geography data, we can compose a more comprehensive perspective of the situation. 

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