Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Syria

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In The Media

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Syria

As the civilian death toll continues to mount in Syria, Russia finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

By Matthew Rojansky

Published on Jun 1, 2012

Source: BBC World News

In an interview with BBC World News, Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky argued that “the Russians are really stuck between a rock and a hard place” as violence continues to mount in Syria. Rojansky noted that the Russian leadership is having difficulty reconciling its principled position against international intervention and its support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the death toll grows.

While Russia supports the Annan peace plan, it believes in pressuring both the government and the opposition to lay down their arms. Meanwhile, regime change is still “off the table” because “Russia has major incentives to keep Assad in power.” If Moscow threatens to abandon Assad, it will quickly lose its leverage in Damascus and appear to capitulate to the West, Rojansky concluded.

About the Author

Matthew Rojansky

Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program

Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.

Recent Work

Paper
An Opportunity for Ambition: Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship
- Matthew Rojansky
In The Media
Presiding Over the OSCE: Challenges and Opportunities
- Matthew Rojansky

Foreign Policy Middle East Syria Caucasus Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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