Everyone in Syria is fighting a slightly different war from everyone else, there are outsiders with their own goals – and the coronavirus is about to make everything much worse.
Both drought and violence drove many Syrians out of their homes; even if the war ends, the continuing difficulty of farming will make it hard for them to return.
Since the 1940s, Congress has largely let the president make decisions, while members of the House and Senate endorse or condemn those actions from the sidelines.
Russia has managed to regain, at least in part, its role as a powerful interlocutor in the Middle East, which it lost after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Caught out by the side effects of the Syrian civil war and deteriorating relations with the EU and the US, Turkey now appears to be in search of South-South cooperation.
Data since 1950s show Americans have always been wary of refugees. A public opinion expert explains current attitudes toward Syrian refugees and what it means for building consensus on policy.
Despite the cataclysmic risks of the Cold War, times have never been as dangerous as these since 1945. Freedom and the rule of law are both under threat.
The US has met its goal for resettling Syrian refugees in 2016, and will aim to take in 110,000 more in 2017. A migration expert examines whether fears of their arrival are well founded.
A young boy is strapped with explosives and sent to detonate himself and those around him at a school. An expert on terrorism explains how and why children become embroiled in militant conflicts.
Aleppo has 85,000 children. Dozens are injured every week, just like five-year old Omran Daqneesh whose pictures have shocked the world. Many have far worse injuries and will not survive.
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University