Commentary
Most of Moscow’s military resources are tied up in Ukraine, while Beijing’s foreign policy prioritizes economic ties and avoids direct conflict.
Alexander Gabuev, Temur Umarov
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Putin Power in Syria
The increase of Russian supplies and presence in support of the Bashar al-Assad’s regime is part of the Russian plan to start negotiations on the ground to resolve the Syrian crisis.
By Nikolay Kozhanov and Jeffrey Mankoff
Published on Sep 26, 2015
Source: ABC’s Saturday Extra
Russia has deployed large amounts of military equipment to Syria, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, and about 2,000 personnel to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime ally of the Kremlin.
On the diplomatic front, Russia has been engaged in military-to-military talks with the United States, held discussions with the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime, and this week President Vladimir Putin will address the United Nations General Assembly—his first address in a decade.Why is Russia acting now? Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nikolay Kozhanov answered this question in his interview on ABC with Geraldine Doogue. Jeffrey Mankoff, acting director and fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), also participated.
The Russians have been involved in Syria since the beginning of the crisis, Kozhanov said. He argued that the current increase of Russian supplies and presence in support of the Assad’s regime is part of the Russian plan to start negotiations on the ground to resolve the crisis—the Kremlin would like to bolster the regime long enough so that it survives until the start of this reconciliation process.
Russians do not believe that Assad’s days are over, Kozhanov added, since they recognize that there is no individual, in their mind, who can take his place. Also, Moscow thinks that only the preservation of the current Syrian regime will guarantee the survival of this country.
About the Authors
Nikolay Kozhanov
Former nonresident scholar, Foreign and Security Policy Program, Moscow Center
Kozhanov is a former nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center and a contributing expert to the Moscow-based Institute of the Middle East.
Jeffrey Mankoff
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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