Just when it seemed that Syria’s bloody civil war could get no worse, it has.

As Russian air strikes and increased fighting force more people to flee their homes, an escalating number of lives are risked and lost in the struggle for safety, and desperation is reaching new levels.

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“This is not just Sunni extremism,” points out Geneive Abdo of the Stimson Center’s Middle East Program. “There is a methodical displacement of people. But the Shiite militias in Iraq have displaced Sunnis and the persecution of Christians is not just by the Sunni side. Ultimately this will change the complexion of the region.”