There have been a number of recent attempts to find a pithy way to explain the complexity of the Middle East and who supports whom in Syria.
Comedian Dom Joly, who grew up in Lebanon and travels frequently in the Middle East, and the BBC's Owen Bennett Jones, a Middle East expert, have recorded their own attempt.
They gave themselves three minutes to untangle the situation.
They could perhaps have done with longer.
Video on page here
Syria, the who's who.
Syria, the who's who.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”