... has the initiative in terms of launching an offensive and a significant advantage over opposition groups.
The State of Affairs
Alexey Khlebnikov:
Major Challenges for the Military and Security Services in Syria
As early as the beginning of 2017, the Syrian opposition demonstrated its ability to consolidate efforts and respond to the regime’s offensive manoeuvres. One such example is the way it managed to reduce “tension” in East Ghouta by carrying out distracting operations of its own in Daraa ...
... defence from 1972 to 2004 and one of the closest associates of former President Hafez al-Assad. It was Mustafa Tlass who
largely facilitated
Bashar al-Assad’s inauguration following the death of his father, despite the fact that a portion of the Syrian opposition was calling for Bashar’s brother, Maher al-Assad, to become the new president.
The Tlass clan managed to become Syria’s second-most-influential family after the al-Assads. They were as significant as the Makhlouf clan, relatives ...
... compromise on the issue of Syria.
Both sides have shown a willingness to make concessions. Lavrov, for example, has made it clear that Moscow is not against including members of the Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam groups in the delegation representing the Syrian opposition, despite the fact that Russia considers them to be terrorists. “It is not up to someone outside the UN to decide; it is up to Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to decide,” the Russian ...
... importance, as it indicates Riyadh’s serious intention to improve relations with Russia. As is widely known, Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the Saudi king’s invitation to visit Riyadh.
An impressive number of leaders of various Syrian opposition groups also visited Moscow this month. The consultations did not reveal any fundamental change in the Kremlin’s Syria policy, but they did reveal the willingness of Russian diplomacy to have more frequent contact with the opposition....
... Katz - George Mason University professor and Middle East Policy Council senior fellow who specializes on Russian foreign policy toward the Middle East - shares his perspective on the recent developments in the country. He comments on the resignation of Syrian opposition’s leader, Russia’s possible role in the “new” Syria and the shift in the international community’s attitude towards the crisis.
Interviewee:
Mark Katz
, Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason ...
