Brief learning objectives have been made available by the author, to assist you with your studies.

This chapter will enable a greater understanding of:

• The background to the conflict in Syria.

• The various sites of unrest at the core of the conflict.

• The response of the Syrian regime to growing opposition.

• The role of regional and global powers in the start and perpetuation of the conflict.

• The course and spread of the conflict, including the disaggregation of the opposition.

• The sources of the Syrian refugee crisis and its impacts on the receiving states adjacent to Syria.