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The Instruments of Power - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The government of Bashar al-Assad
        
        This government represents a minority of the population, which is the Shiites, who make up roughly 15% of the population and include the ruling Alawites compared to the Sunni majority of 70%. While it may look like they have less physical power as they are heavily outnumbered, the Alawites have control of the Syrian military and air force.
      - Opposition groups
        
        Syrian rebels, the self-styled Islamic State, Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist organizations, Kurdish led organizations, and foreign militias make up these groups.
        
        While these groups greatly outnumber the government by size, they are weaker in both physical and relation terms. They are weaker physically as the government controls the military, and also this 70% majority is actually made up of many smaller groups many of whom hate each other as much as they hate the government.
    - - Russia is an ally to the Syrian government as this provides them with an entry point into the geographic region, along with Russia's naval base in Northern Syria.
      - Iran is an ally to the Syrian government, as both share the belief of Shiite Islam, and the government also allows Iran access into the Mediterranean Middle East. Because of this, Iran has given Syria troops to add to their military force.
      - Turkey is also one of Syria's external ally in this conflict, as even though a close Syria-Iran relationship poses a problem to them, the threat of a Kurdish nation is far more dangerous. Since the area along the Turkish-Syrian border is claimed by the Kurds, having them taken out by Syria would be a huge win for Turkey.
      - The United States is the only main external force providing assistance to the resistance, however with these groups being so split up it is hard to help them out much. Especially with some of these groups being enemies of the United States, such as ISIS, the only help that can be provided is very minimal.