Syria Is Now Much More Than A Civil War

05:45

September 15, 2015

Syrians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following reported air strikes by regime forces in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, on August 30, 2015. More than 240,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, and half of the country's population has been displaced by the war. (ABD Doumany/Getty Images)

The conflict started more than four years ago as a fight between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels who oppose him. But now, some of the rebel groups are fighting each other, in addition to battling the regime. With the U.S. and other countries' attentions on ISIS, Russia is there in Syria supporting President Assad.

How do we make sense of this complicated battleground? Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's Middle East editor just returned from Syria's capital, Damascus, and discusses the situation with Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti.

Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app.

Guest

Jeremy Bowen, Middle East editor for BBC. He tweets @bowenbbc.

This segment aired on September 15, 2015.

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