After nearly five months of unrest and violence, it’s still unclear whether President Bashar al-Assad and his Baathist regime will survive or fall. So far, human rights groups estimate that 1,700 people have died. The United Nations Security Council recently amped up their criticism of the regime, which finds itself increasingly isolated from its Arab neighbors. Syrian and long-time U.S. resident Omar Dahi, an economics professor at Hampshire College, just returned from Syria. He gives us a sense of the mood on the ground and whether Syrians will continue to risk their lives for democratic reforms. Later in the hour, WBEZ’s Odette Yousef explores why more and more refugees are bypassing Chicago for the suburbs.