The West’s response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine has been to sanction and attempt to isolate Russia.... ... this, Russia continues to show its influence on critical international issues, with Syria being just the most recent example. After over two years of talking about the... ... disregard the possibility of cooperation with Russia outright ought to consider the case of Iran. The Iranian nuclear deal is a significant achievement towards regional and international...
... myopic side, you have Putin thinking that risking the ire of almost all the Sunni governments, Sunni people, and Sunni jihadists by helping Shiite Alawite Assad massacre mainly Sunni rebels and civilians with the help of Shiite Hezbollah and Shiite Iran just for Russia's having a naval base on Syria’s coast and a few new bases inside Syria as well as a client in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who accounts for roughly 10% of global Russian arms sales is worth it (oh, and there’s knee-jerk opposing American and Western aims in Syria ...
... who have been fighting along with the Syrian army in the Russia's coined up coalition is totally unacceptable.
Certain tensions with Iran are not excluded either. Now Iran and Russia are on the same side against a common enemy. However a significant Iranian presence in Syria may put Russia protecting Syrian state, in a difficult position.
There could be some friction with Israel as well. The Israelis have been trying to keep open sky over Syria for the Israeli air force to operate freely in case of emergency. A containment of Hezbollah ...
... much-noticed polarization among them: those countries intent on reconstructing stability in the Middle East carrying out a real fight against terrorist groups and defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states in the region, have supported Russian actions. These include Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, the national patriotic forces of Lebanon and Jordan.
The leadership of those countries which, on the other hand, solely aim to advance their own political interests and try to use the Syrian conflict (and particularly instrumentalize radical ...
... major energy players to gain access to Iran’s hydrocarbons.
Hence, Russia's assessment of the emerging environment in Iran should not be simplistic. On the one hand, a strong Tehran appears a promising ally in countering the Islamic threat in Syria and Iraq, but on the other, Western appetites for Iranian oil and gas may result in the emergence of a weighty rival in the European gas market.
Hence, Russia is in a position to offer Iran multifaceted military support with the prior coordination of steps with its Western partners who also want to see the Islamic State destroyed. If expanded bilateral cooperation is approved by the international community,...
... would backfire, causing Barack Obama’s administration, also criticized at home for being excessively soft on Iran, at least some inconvenience
[28]
. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney indirectly confirmed the importance of cooperation with Russia on Syria and Iran at a daily briefing on 11 March 2014, saying that “we obviously have a very important cooperation with Russia on the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons”, where “Russia has played a leading role”. “We have ...
... aggravating ever-growing regional tensions, such deviance on the part of the US could prompt Moscow’s wrath.
And since Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a man of half measures, Washington’s new rules of engagement might have blew up ... ... Islamic power in the region, Saudi Arabia cannot envision a world where it does not rule unchallenged over Arabia. From untamed Syria to ambitious Turkey and mighty Iran, Saudi Arabia wants to topple all and control all, even if it means working with Israel.
If anyone was ever in doubt of ...
Only cooperation between Moscow and Washington can solve the Middle East's most vexing problems.
On November 21, 2013,
Foreign Policy published
article "On Syria and Iran, U.S. and Russia Can Work Together" by RIAC President and former Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, it is striking that areas of disagreement appear ...
... Zvyagelskaya
, Professor of Oriental Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the RF MFA (MGIMO) and senior researcher at the Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies, talks about whether the resolution approved was in line with the Russian interests and prospects for settlement in Syria, and what changes we can expect in Iran under its new leader.
What do you think about the UN Security Council Resolution on Syria? Can it be counted as a Russian diplomatic triumph?
The resolution on Syria has indeed showcased Russian diplomats’ professionalism. It is also a victory ...
... eliminate any threat to its power. Assad’s ruthlessness, however, consequently put him on the spot. Trying to hold onto power through terror, the Assad regime gravely undermined its legitimacy and, worse, triggered a civil war.
As the violence in Syria escalated, a regional conflict morphed into an issue of international concern. Russia, Iran, Lebanon’s militia group Hizbullah, and China backed the Assad regime. The so-called “Friends of Syria,” including Gulf states, Jordan, Turkey, the European Union, and the United States, took the side of the Syrian opposition. Due ...
