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When protests against decades of rule by the Assad family were crushed by Syrian government forces in the spring of 2011, opposition groups took up arms and the country descended into civil war. The conflict drew in Syria’s Kurds, jihadi groups including Islamic State and al-Qaeda, and the international community.

13 years on President Assad controls around two thirds of the country, but northern Syria remains out of the regime's grip and is highly volatile. Internal divisions, international influences and a worsening humanitarian situation may be about to further destabilise the region, with potentially serious consequences for Syria and the world. So, in this episode of The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘What’s the future for Syria’s divided north?’

Contributors
Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute.
Charles Lister, Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs, Middle East Institute.
Qutaiba Idlbi, Director of the Syria Initiative at the Atlantic Council.
Emma Beals, Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

Presenter: Emily Wither
Production: Diane Richardson and Matt Toulson
Broadcast Co-ordinator: Ellie Dover & Liam Morrey
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward

Image credit - NurPhoto via Getty Images