The war started in 2011, when Syrians enraged by corruption and emboldened by a

wave of "Arab Spring"

protests across the region took to the streets to demand democratic accountability
for their leaders.
The protests started in March that year and quickly morphed into an armed
insurgency, and eventually
a full-blown war, with the U.S. and Europe supporting rebels aiming to topple
President Bashar Assad.
With significant foreign support for the rebels, many thought Assad would only
manage to cling to power
for months. But the fighting dragged on for years. The rebels made significant
gains, but so, too, did extremist groups.
The chaos of the war allowed ISIS, al Qaeda and other terror groups to seize more
than 70% of Syria's territory.
Then in September 2015, Russia jumped into the war with both feet. President
Vladimir Putin sent forces to back up Assad's
on the ground and warplanes to attack not only the extremist groups, but in some
cases the rebels backed by the West.
For Moscow, Assad's overthrow would have been a serious blow: The old Soviet Union
had at one time enjoyed real political
influence across the region, with strong alliances in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Algeria
and Yemen, but Putin's Russia had only
one remaining foothold in the Middle East, in Syria.
Putin saved Assad, and the Syrian president is now planning to run for a new seven-
year term in June elections.