The BBC has an interesting article on the long history of fighting in Syria - going back 800 years:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19600546
It also made me think about how fickle the news cycle is - with Libya, youtube riots and topless Royal Photos making bigger headlines than the on-going fighting in Syria. This is just the way it is - not a criticism, but an observation. There are other conflicts and other deaths around the world, but what makes it to the headlines is not necessarily the biggest injustices, or body counts - but rather what is new and deemed 'newsworthy'.
Cheers,
Shafique