![Airstrike on rebel-held city of Douma Firefighters extinguish flames following an airstrike by forces loyal to the Syrian government in the rebel-held area of Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, on Sept. 11, 2016.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/mohammed-badra.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
In Syria, it’s been all too easy to lose the plot. Things began simply enough, another promising bud in the Arab Spring–ordinary citizens marching peacefully against a Middle Eastern despot.
It was a heart-lifting display, maybe a bit tardy after the movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya, but you certainly knew whom to cheer for. The good guys were in plain sight, chanting “Freedom” and “Peace” from orderly rows. Until the government forces opened fire.
But as the crowds scattered for cover and, before long, took up arms themselves, what steadily enveloped the conflict was not so much the fog of war as its miasma. Opposition to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad shattered into more than 1,000 armed groups.
Read the full story here
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com