of the children and democratic reforms. it quickly turned violent with protests spreading and syrian security forces opening fire on crowds. translator: this is our land and we will not leave it. reporter: protesters targeted the government of syrian president bashar al assad. our enemies are working daily and scientifically to undermine the stability of syria. reporter: the regime s response was swift. a brutal crackdown, massive arrests and casualties. the president made promises that never came. the level of anger is palpable. we re just a you few miles from the center of damascus.
translator: it s our enemies are working daily and scientifically to undermine this stability of syria. reporter: the regime s response was swift. a brutal crackdown, massive arrests and casualties. the president made promises that never came. the level of anger and passion here is palpable. we re just a few miles from the center of damascus. this is a crowd here. thank you, thank you. this is a crowd of several thousand people. they ve taken over this whole area. reporter: the government militia continued to torture and murder their own people, using tanks in surprise raids. translator: i m not the only one whose life has been destroyed or whose husband is missing. everyone in this country has a missing person or a destroyed home or is displaced. we have been through so much. we have suffered and have come to hate life because of all
center of damascus. this is a crowd here of perhaps several thousand people. they ve taken over the whole area. reporter: the government militia continued to torture and murder their own people. using tanks in surprise raids. translator: i m not the only one whose life has been destroyed or whose husband is missing. everyone in this country has a missing person or destroyed home or is displaced. we have been through so much. we have suffered and have come to hate life because of all these problems. reporter: emails obtained by cnn apparently from the assad s private e-mail accounts show throughout it all they don t live a life of luxury. one day in february 2012 the same day opposition fighters in homs, mr. assad s wife wrote about shoes she liked b-$7,000
soaring, as much as 50%, just in the last year. and at the center if damascus felt busier, it s maybe because other areas of damascus are off-limits due to security reasons. checkpoints and blast walls all around. again, the government presence here is pretty constant, but also constant, the sound of war. during our visit so far, we have heard the steady thump, you can hear it now, of artillery against positions held by the rebels on the outskirts of the city. and we have heard incomie ining mortar hits by the rebels towards the center of damascus. a sign that perhaps while negotiations are revving up, the war very much going forward. greg? greg, live in damascus, syria. thanks very much. uma? well, president obama is planning a major speech to mark five years since the financial meltdown that sent the u.s. economy into a free fall. we re live in washington with a preview. and new concerns that america is now playing catch-up in the middle east. russia taking the lead in
this moment of history belongs to you. you broke barriers and overcame obstacles to pursue the dream of democracy. it quickly becomes clear the future of a post-mubarak egypt is anything but certain. dreams of prosperity have yet to be realized as the economy worsens. discontent with the pace of reform of the military council leads to renewed protests in tahrir square. eyewitnesses show they re actually breaking the cease fires sometimes that are arranged here and just venting their fury. and there s another round of tear gas. i ve got to put the gas mask back on. venting their fury at the police. by january 2012 islamists have the political initiative with the muslim brotherhood winning a majority of seats in parliamentary elections. clashes between the military and protesters are again violent and deadly. just one country away, another revolution, an uprising in libya that began in february of 2011 quickly turns into a civil war. in march, opposition fighters are ai