The Syrian Civil War: What?

Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria marks a new phase in the Syrian conflict, now in its fifth year. Launched in late September,

in response to rebel gains against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the strikes were a prelude to a mid-October ground offensive by Syrian government forces to retake territory in the northwest of the country; meanwhile, the United States appears poised to expand its military presence on the ground. Russian President Vladimir Putin may be trying to strengthen Assad’s position ahead of potential political negotiations, brokered by major powers like Russia and the U.S., to end the civil war, writes David Ignatius in an essay for The Atlantic’s new project, “What to Do About ISIS?” But so far, he adds, Russia’s partnership with the Shiite-led governments of Syria and Iran has only deepened the divisions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that are at the center of the war.

What?

Syria’s conflict has devolved from peaceful protests against the government in 2011 to a violent insurgency that has drawn in numerous other countries. It’s partly a civil war of government against people; partly a religious war pitting Assad’s minority Alawite sect, aligned with Shiite fighters from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, against Sunni rebel groups; and increasingly a proxy war featuring Russia and Iran against the United States and its allies. Whatever it is, it has so far killed 220,000 people, displaced half of the country’s population, and facilitated the rise of ISIS.