[snip] The flashpoints of the uprising have been the poorest parts of the country. It began in March 2011 in the impoverished southern province of Daraa... The gap between rich and poor across Syria grew in the more than a decade of free market economic policies initiated by the late Hafez Assad and accelerated by his son, Bashar...benefited a tiny segment... particularly a clique of regime-linked businessmen and the mostly Sunni merchant class in Aleppo and Damascus... also triggered steep price increases... [/snip] -- Revolt of the underclass: Syria rebels carry fury born of marginalization -- Associated Press [Photo credit:...