Since the conflict escalated in 2012, the Syrian civil war has been defined by intervention from other actors across the world ... and outside of the Middle East, such as Russia and Iran.

after World War I to advance their empires’ economic and political interests. They carved up the Middle East map with the stroke of a pen, and we have lived with the consequences ever since.

Russian forces have slowly expanded the amount of territory they control over the past year, mostly in the east of Ukraine ... changes not reflected in the maps.

Over the last year, the war in Ukraine has morphed from a multi-front invasion that included Kyiv in the north to a conflict of attrition largely concentrated along a 600-mile stretch in the east ...