Syria DividedThe civil war in Syria which has claimed more than 600,000 lives and displaced over half of the country's population since 2011 is an enormously complex conflict. The combatants include a wide array of state and nonstate forces, both Syrian and international. Adding to the war's complexity, its many participants understand and explain the war in a range of different ways. For some, it is a fight for dignity and democracy; for others, a sectarian or