A few months english phd thesis TO GO WITH A AFP STORY BY MARY ROUDANI A woman and children walk past an improvised gas station in the town of Azaz, northern Syria, on September 29, 2012. Like most commodities in sanctions-hit and war-stricken Syria, the price of petrol has risen dramatically since the start of the uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad 18 months ago. AFP PHOTO/MIGUEL MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/GettyImages)