Search: Bashar Assad,Russia (10 materials)

Syrian President’s Visit to Russia Amid the Changing Regional Environment

While Assad’s visit to Moscow did not yield breakthrough agreements, it confirmed the importance of the Syrian dossier for Russia, contrary to the claims that Moscow is slackening its focus on Syria Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow on March 14, 2023, for talks with his Russian counterpart—bringing along a representative delegation (almost all the key ministers in the government: foreign affairs, defense, economy, etc.), which is indicative of the numerous issues on the Russian-Syrian agenda. Besides, the arrival ...

28.03.2023

Syria: In the Middle of a Long Cycle

... and opened fire on the crowd, shooting to kill; three people were killed on the spot and another died later of injuries. Next day, a mass rebellion against the central government broke out in Daraa to quickly spread to neighbouring towns and villages. Russia and the EU in Syria: Need for New Approaches? RIAC Working Paper? Had I been told back then, in March 2011, that the civil war in Syria would still be raging ten years later, I would not have believed it. The mid-19th century American Civil War ...

15.03.2021

The Coronavirus and Conflicts in the Middle East

... rivalry. There are new nuclear missiles, cyber- and biotechnologies, "hybrid wars," and the consequences of all these trends are not yet entirely clear, which makes this rivalry far more dangerous than the USSR-US confrontation. Andrey Kortunov: Russian Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Achievements and Limitations Thus far, it is difficult to say confidently what direction these developments will take and whether they will become a turning point. In any case (and here Russian and Western analysts ...

26.05.2020

A Framework for European-Russian cooperation in Syria

... tools, including sanctions, reconstruction funding and any political legitimation remain tied to this end. Key European governments continue to hope that these cards can be used to extract compromises out of Damascus. RIAC Report “Squaring the Circle: Russian and European Views on Syrian Reconstruction” For some European governments the path to possible progress also depends on Russia, which is seen as being the only player that can force Assad to shift position. But while European officials are ...

17.06.2019

The Tussle Over Syria

Putin’s Syrian intervention was limited to areas around the port of Tartus and the Latakia air base, both heavily upgraded by Russia. His aim was not a full occupation, but a gradual expansion of a strategic corridor from Damascus to Aleppo. He did not fear US repercussions. Obama’s 2013 red line back-step had convinced him the president would be passive in the face of aggression....

07.12.2017

Russia does not let its friends down

The central issue of Wednesday's meetings in Moscow was whether Russia would give in. An immediate change of policy was obviously not on the cards since it is not in Putin's nature to make sudden concessions under pressure. But will he gradually and incrementally pull the rug from under the Syrian president? According ...

14.04.2017

Donald Trump: The 'Unreliable Flip-Flop Loser' President Who 'Lacks Stamina'

... to eradicate in his inauguration speech. Make America War Again Trump has somersaulted a full 180 degrees to capitulate to America’s Wahhabi lobby, led by the likes John McCain, Lyndsey Graham and Hillary Clinton. Any deviation from this norm was considered a Russian plot. However, when those Tomahawks were launched on April 6, Washington had magically found a president for all Americans; one who was no longer a budding dictator, a new Hitler or a Putin shill! Gone too would be Trump’s vows to eradicate ...

12.04.2017

Russia in a Changing Middle East

Interests and opportunities The Middle East has always had a special meaning for Russia. The area provides access to the Mediterranean Sea, linking Russia with the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Africa. Any threat of war, a concentration of foreign armies, civil wars in the states located there, conflicts ...

08.12.2015

En Route to Useful Syria: Al-Qaeda Back in the Game?

Because the initial strikes by the Russian Air Force were not targeted only against ISIS, it became clear that the operation has also been meant to support the Syrian Arab Army of President Bashar Assad and stabilize the frontline. Meanwhile, restoring Damascus’s control over the whole of Syrian territory seems unlikely. Russian military involvement in the Syrian conflict has sparked the ire of regional actors, primarily Saudi Arabia and Turkey who have seen their interests infringed upon. However, the Saudis continue to arm the Syrian antigovernment forces trying to ...

20.11.2015

Poll conducted

  1. In your opinion, what are the US long-term goals for Russia?
    U.S. wants to establish partnership relations with Russia on condition that it meets the U.S. requirements  
     33 (31%)
    U.S. wants to deter Russia’s military and political activity  
     30 (28%)
    U.S. wants to dissolve Russia  
     24 (22%)
    U.S. wants to establish alliance relations with Russia under the US conditions to rival China  
     21 (19%)
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