Great powers claim to be great because they cannot afford the luxury of pure situational opportunism, typical for many other international actors
The sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, as far as one can judge, came as a complete surprise for all external actors, Moscow including. Of course, many Russian area studies experts for a long time warned about the growing economic and social problems in Syria, as well as about incredible ...
The era of great-power dominance is fading. Moscow’s future lies in mastering regional diplomacy
In 2015, when the Russian Armed Forces launched a military operation in Syria, it marked a turning point in the post-Soviet era. The collapse of the USSR had caused a dramatic decline in Russia’s international standing. For two and a half decades after 1991, Moscow worked to regain lost status, prestige, and influence on ...
Syria’s reconstruction is one of the main and most pressing challenges of its post-war development
Syria’s reconstruction is one of the main and most pressing challenges of its post-war development. The civil war has ended per se, but the confpct ...
... in carrying out attacks on the IRI, in particular by granting it airspace. According to several reports, GCC states are
refusing
to grant it to Israel. Thus, they will likely try to remain neutral in the event of a possible regional escalation.
Will Syria become involved?
The probability of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) becoming involved in the war deserves special attention. Despite the fact that Syria has territorial claims against Israel (the Golan Heights were occupied by Israel during the Six-Day ...
Damascus and Ankara sharing more and more interests
The leaders of Syria and Turkey have recently made frequent public declarations of their readiness to start the process of normalizing bilateral relations soon, with Russia as a mediator. Syrian President Bashar Assad, while receiving Russian President's Special Envoy ...
..., China is cementing ties with many of the states that lie along (and beyond) the BRI framework. China is
using
similar methods in Africa, for example, by investing in various projects and ramping up its investment.
China’s “helping hand” for Syria
Beijing also
established
a strategic partnership with Damascus in 2023. China has been an active supporter of Syria’s return to the Arab League,
stating
the need for unity among Arab states. Cooperation between the two sides provides China with ...
... policy all over the world, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. For instance, there were widespread expectations that being distracted by the conflict with Ukraine, the Kremlin would not be able to sustain its military presence in Syria at previous levels. There were speculations that the special military operation would alienate some of Russia’s traditional friends and partners in the region and that Moscow will increasingly become a marginal player in Middle Eastern affairs,...
... strategic depth, it is necessary to rely on a striking deterrent force that preserves Israel’s continuity. However, as a result of the strategic victories of the resistance axis in the July 2006 war, through the Gaza wars (2008-2021) and the global war on Syria (2011-2019), there have become radical changes that entail threats that will have very serious repercussions on the level of the fate and existence of the Israeli occupying state.
In this context, the victories of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza ...
The goal of the round table was to discuss the dynamics of quadrilateral cooperation in the context of regional trends in the Middle East. The meeting was attended by leading experts from Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria
On October 18, 2023, a closed round table “Cooperation between Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria in the Context of Regional Dynamics” was held. Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in cooperation with Institute for Iran & Eurasia studies ...
On September 27, 2023, as part of the Rossotrudnichestvo “New Generation” programme, a group of young foreign specialists from the Syrian Arab Republic visited Russian International Affairs Council
On September 27, 2023, as part of the Rossotrudnichestvo “New Generation” programme, a group of young foreign specialists from the Syrian Arab Republic visited Russian International ...
