The Syrian Civil War is a conflict between the Syrian Government, led by Bashar al-Assad, and their allies like Russia Iran, Hezbollah and ISIS, and various rebel factions, allied with most of the West, Turkey, etc. It erupted amidst The Arab Spring.
Since 1971, the Assad family had ran Syria under a horrific military dictatorship. Bashar's dad, one Hafez Assad, was the former head of the Syrian Air Force who, after losing the Six-Day War arrested every opposing politician, and was "elected" President in 1971. His 29 year long reign was a horrid display of brutality for all who opposed him. The city of Hama was nearly leveled to the ground when a Muslim Brotherhood rebellion was attempted there, as was an earlier one against Assad's Alawite heritage. Under Hafez, Syria started to drift closer to Soviet influence, a hatred of Israel about the Golan Heights started, and interfering in Lebanon's politics and their war before his untimely death in 2000.
Initally, Assad wasn't even planned to be the future Syrian President. His older brother Bassel was groomed to lead until he was killed in a car crash, 6 years before the death of his father. A shy young man with a talent for opthalmology was not seen as the leader that Syria needed. Nevertheless, he became President. He made slight reforms for Syria's foreign policy during The War on Terror, but the basic principles of Hafez's rule stayed the same under his son.
