Protests which rocked the Arab world in recent months are now hitting Syria - a country ruled with an iron grip on security.<br /><br />Emergency laws, in place since 1963, ban all forms of demonstrations.<br /><br />But the protesters are not backing down.<br /><br />Bashar al Assad, whose family has ruled the country for 40 years, is facing challenges like never before.<br /><br />So what sparked the protests in Syria and why did they start off in Daraa?<br /><br />Inside Story presenter Laura Kyle is joined by guests: Ghias Al-jundi, a Syrian author and human rights activist, Samir Ai-ta, Chief Editor of the Arab edition of Le Monde Diplomatique and Jawad Al An-ani, a political analyst for the Jordanian based think-tank Al-baseera.<br /><br />This episode of Inside Story aired on Wednesday, March 23, 2011.
