The conflict in Syria is complicated to say the least. You can’t really call it a civil war because there’s about 40 different groups fighting each other. Combine that with Russia/Iran, and the U.S. all backing different parties, the conflict can be difficult to keep track of. The New York Times published this piece this weekend that breaks down the conflict and explains the war in layman’s terms.
“The core conflict is between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels who oppose him. Over time, both sides fractured into multiple militias, including local and foreign fighters, but their fundamental disagreement is over whether Mr. Assad’s government should stay in power.”