SYRIA

In 2010 and early 2011, Syria looked calm from the outside: busy markets, ancient cities, families gathering for long dinners, kids running through old stone streets.But underneath? The country was quietly cracking. One family ruled for decades. Politics were tightly controlled. The security services were everywhere. People learned not to talk about certain things in Syria.

Next the violence rapidly escalated and became a full-scale civil war that has left more than 570,000 people dead.