How Bashar Assad remained at helm as Syria was engulfed in 10 years of conflict

Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, and his wife Asma (Syrian Presidency/AP)

Syrians are marking 10 years since peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad’s government erupted in March 2011, touching off a popular uprising that quickly turned into a full-blown civil war.

Despite a decade of fighting and a broken country, Mr Assad remains firmly in power.