... operation in the Panjshir region and wants it to respect the Shiite minority, while Dushanbe remains concerned about its co-ethnics in that country. Russia must therefore see to it that these fault lines don’t provoke any proxy conflicts. Unlike in Syria, Russia is not the kingmaker of Afghan affairs because it has no military involvement in the country and thus is not capable of leading the political process there. Rather, it must creatively leverage its diplomatic capabilities to improve the socio-economic ...
... infrastructure in Central Asia? Yet, no matter how important these and other questions might be, they should not distract Moscow’s attention from strategic collaboration with the principal regional actors in Afghanistan. The preliminary results achieved by Russia in Syria give us grounds to hope that the Kremlin might well succeed in avoiding obvious miscalculations in Afghanistan.
First published in the
Republic
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... Syria becoming a failed state (which the West has let happen in Libya), let alone starving civilians to death. This accusation fails to consider the mechanisms of aid distribution. It’s a propaganda effort aimed at discrediting Russia’s role in Syria.
Russia is feeding Syrians
, delivering regular shipments of wheat since March 2021 when the resource’s demand became an emergency.
Rogin’s analysis relies on an interview from Raed al-Saleh, chairman of the Syrian Civil Defense or White Helmets—a ...
... the whole region. As a matter of fact, after a humiliating defeat in Afghanistan and a severe confrontation with Iran, the U.S. is upset and confused further. The U.S. is losing its grounds in the entire Muslim world, as its aggression of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, and some other Muslim countries has created anti-American sentiments around the globe. The Muslim world sees Russia as a friend and seeking protection and refuge from Russia. It is time for Russia to show solidarity with the Muslim world and rescue the whole region from America’s evil designs.
Zamir Ahmed Awan
... strong response from the Turkish citizenry. Russia’s support of the Kurds, whom the Turkish believe are linked to domestic terrorists and separatists, and carpet bombing of Sunni civilians has led 55% of Turkish citizens to view Russia as a threat. Russian and Syrian forces have also targeted Turkish soldiers in Idlib, and private military contractors (PMCs) from both sides have clashed throughout the Syrian conflict. The use of PMCs in both Libya and Syria have the potential to escalate conflict between Turkey ...
... campaign to its own ends, openly accusing former “partners” of inadequacy.
The decision to engage in the Syrian file was based on several factors, and none of them was truly perceived by the West. The first and the most important was terrorism. For Russia, Syria was too close to the borders for comfort to allow terrorist activities to go unimpeded. It was imperative not just to put an end to groups like ISIS and JN but to eliminate the most active terrorists physically so that they would not be able to ...
... convoys to Idlib across the contact line and in cooperation with the Syrian government. In this regard, it may be helpful to advance discussion on the details of this approach. The difficulty is that neither humanitarian convoys nor the military of Syria, Russia, Turkey or the United States will be protected from provocations by terrorists. Although Turkey has close relations in Idlib with a number of anti-government Syrian groups affiliated with the so-called “Syrian National Army”, these are weak ...
... pressed to choose, Russia should side more with Egypt and the UAE, especially since the latter can open doors for Russia in other regions if their partnership reaches the strategic level through cooperation here and elsewhere.
Levant: Resolving the War in Syria
Russia must somehow resolve the Syrian dilemma, ideally by pairing an Iranian withdrawal with the nuclear deal, sanctions relief for Syria, and some form of decentralization that is acceptable to Damascus. Moscow must also ensure that Turkish influence ...
... autonomy through a complicated profit-sharing formula between that region and the central government—similar to what Iraqi Kurdistan has with Baghdad. Turkey, more than anything, does not want to be threatened by PKK-aligned militants there, but a joint Russian-Syrian patrol of the border could possibly prevent that. The U.S., however, might stand in the way since it does not want to withdraw without leaving a lasting geopolitical legacy behind.
Andrey Kortunov:
Meeting Security Challenges in the Gulf: Ideal ...
... the Abkhaz flag symbolizes this union with white for Christianity and green for Islam, and the Abkhaz society integrates Muslims and their practices, which makes it a bridge between the Orthodox and Muslim worlds, allowing for the rapid integration of Syrians. Russia’s involvement in the Syria-Abkhazia relations The Kremlin was the main actor to support the recognition of Abkhazia by Syria, since this served its diplomatic interests, and continues to do so in many respects. In this respect, Russia’s military ...
