The Syrian Civil War has been one of the best recorded, as well as one of the most brutal wars. This episode tracks the events that led to the civil war, from decolonization to dictatorships to religious and ethnic struggle. It explains the combatants on the multi-sided war and the outside players such as The USA, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, who struggle to find a side to support. The brutality ramps up when eventually the chaos leads to a new front in the war, when The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria emerges.