Syria

Up until recently one of the most stable Middle Eastern nations, the Syrian Arab Republic is now one of the most troubled, faced with an ongoing internal conflict between rebel factions and the government.
Modern Syria was established after World War I as a French mandate, encompassing a portion of the former Ottoman-controlled territory between Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. A coup in 1961 led to rule by the Ba’athist Party and an ongoing “state of emergency” lasting nearly fifty years, suspending nearly all constitutional rights and placing supreme power in the hands of the President.
In 2011, a series of peaceful protests inspired by the Arab Spring provoked a violent government crackdown, sparking military defections and the formation of an armed resistance against the government. This led to a full-fledged civil war as other factions—including various sectarian militias, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)—entered the fighting. The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, widespread disease and devastation, and millions of refugees fleeing Syria for other parts of the world, particularly Europe.
The combination of ongoing military conflict, porous borders, and terrorism have lured criminals and mercenaries to war-torn Syria as well. International agencies like UNISON are working to prevent illegal arms and technologies from crossing the border, as well as stopping criminals looking to smuggle goods out of the country, including archeological artifacts or technologies (possibly acquired from clandestine meetings in the country).