2013 was unexpectedly a terrible year for several Arab nations because the promise of greater freedoms and political reforms was reversed, most violently in some instances, by taking a few countries down the path of anarchy and complete chaos. Syria and Egypt are two cases in point.

Syria has been hit the hardest. For months, the United Nations has maintained that over 100,000 people have been killed in the 33 months of conflict. More recently, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights concluded that at least 125,835, of which more than third of them are civilians, have been killed.

The U.N.'s humanitarian agency says that millions of Syrians living in perpetual suffering are in need of aid, and this number will reach 9.3 million by the end of next year.