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Since 2011, Syria has had civil unrest beginning with the Arab Spring protests, which were nationwide protests against the government which resulted in violent crackdowns by the Syrian government. Soon enough, it changed from protests to armed rebellion from various groups formed during the protesting process. Groups involved include al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian Government, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Since the FSA is considered an opposition faction, it is able to receive support by the United States and other Gulf Countries, giving it increased fighting capacity. During the Syrian crisis, around 5 million citizens have fled the country seeking a new home. It is believed by many that the movement of Syrian refugees into many Middle Eastern and European Union countries is becoming economically unstable.

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People are always the ones who suffer the most in war, especially this time in Syria. Half of the country’s population has been displaced and 4 million people have fled as refugees to neighboring countries since the country’s civil war began in 2011. The majority have ended up in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, and new refugees are now seeking “new homes” in Germany and Hungary. Some countries refuse to take refugees because they are considered liabilities for an economy. But some others, such as Germany, take refugees in as opportunities for economic growth.

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Usually unrest in the Middle East translates into booming gas prices for American drivers, but so far the Syrian conflict has had little to no effect on US gas prices.  Slight increases, as of late, in average gas prices nationwide have been attributed to Labor Day weekend and its tendency to induce higher prices at the gas pump.  An increase in the number of fuel efficient cars on the road and a push for sustainable oil consumption are all contributing factors that have kept gas prices in check.

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“Trade creates wealth”: an age-old saying oft used to break international boundaries for the free exchange of goods, services, currency, and capital. But this age-old saying does not hold true when it comes to the underground economy of old-age empires’ wealth.  Trafficking antiquities not only creates sinkholes in the public goods marketplace, but it also depreciates cultural heritage sights.  Furthermore, these black market deals are exponentially increasing the rate of cultural homogenization by privatizing potential world-heritage commodities.  Why be entrepreneurial with a public good like history?  It is far more meaningful for archeologists, history enthusiasts, and the inquisitive society.  Due to its unauthorized, undisclosed, unregulated, and highly informal, the black market for antiques can only be scratched at surface level but three distinctive vacuums emerge: currency, knowledge, culture.