In Perspective: Syrian president’s speech shows sectarian nature of conflict

On Jan. 6, 2013, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed the Syrian population for the first time in six months amid a 22-month-old civil war that has claimed the lives of an estimated 60,000 Syrians. In a speech that largely resembles a speech he gave a year prior, Assad rejected the legitimacy of the Syrian opposition and called for a national dialogue as well as a new constitution. UCLA history professor James Gelvin discusses Assad’s latest statements within the context of the Syrian uprising that began in March of 2011, as well as the longer story that explains the violence and sectarianism of the Syrian civil war.