Russia is bombing Syria, the goal of the raid is to hit the Isis conclave and, despite the friction between the White House and Kremlin, which evokes the years of the Cold War, according to the President Obama the Middle East could be probably an interesting battlefield on which to demonstrate the USA superiority.
By Federica Fanuli
Russia is bombing Syria, the goal of the raid is to hit the Isis conclave
and, despite the friction between the White House and Kremlin, which evokes the
years of the Cold War, according to the President Obama the Middle East could
be probably an interesting battlefield on which to demonstrate the USA
superiority.
The American-led international coalition has done very little against
the militias of the Islamic State. We know that the air attacks are not very
functional and effective to dismember a mobile and flexible structure such as
the Isis. Compared to the Iraqi troops, trained and equipped by the alliance,
are definitely the Peshmerga, which have obtained more success on the ground
then the coalition, but ensuring support to the Kurds should break down
relations with Turkey. Erdogan fears the Kurdish push of independence.
Russia defends his outpost on the Mediterranean, the reason that prompted Putin to intervene in Syria, rehabilitating the figure of Assad in spite of the disappointment of Obama, who aims for disengagement, because Putin could strengthen the front Alawite and, so much the worse, end up stuck in the Middle East quagmire.
The Middle East, now is of secondary importance to diplomacy with Stars and Stripes. As matter of the fact, the commitment of Washington is working for maintaining the current status quo and preventing that any foreign interference encourage local leaders to impose hegemony in the area, with the risk of promoting regional alliances or, on the contrary, fuel hostility historically sedimented. The Syrian conflict has had its political significance for the American government's decision to deal about Tehran's nuclear program. Subsequently, Syria has become marginal.
A silent war that continued to consume that land, completely abandoned to its fate. Anyway, the US has agreed that the Alawite regime of Assad should remain in power, because it can avert the country from falling into the network of militants of al-Baghdadi. A disengagement that moves away the spectre of Afghanistan. On the contrary, Syria plays a much more important role for Putin. In Syria, it is displaced a Soviet naval base. Russian involvement is only not limited to the defence of the flow into the Mediterranean Sea, but also because of the region's strategic nature. The active participation in the Syrian conflict means for the Kremlin to acquire a specific weight and get political concessions about Ukraine from the United States.
However, from the Western Front, Putin could hardly fail to affect in a decisive manner against Isis, on the contrary, he could more easily get stuck in the complex Middle East scenario. All this evokes for Russia the Afghan nightmare in the ‘80s. Moreover, the raids of the Holy Mother Russia complicate the already controversial relations with Ankara. As matter of the fact, the Russian attacks stop Turkey implementing a no-fly zone and extending its influence on the future government of Damascus. A tension that will weigh on the Turkish Stream pipeline, which replaces the South Stream and the American administration is trying to sabotage. Obama does not seem to change his mind, although it seems to be willing to open a dialogue with Tehran that - more than Russia - could solve the Syrian conflict. At the moment, the de-conflicting could be the first result of the meeting of Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The de-conflicting is a neologism that indicates the prevention of conflict. In this case, it means to avoid that, by mistake, a collision happens between the Russian military and the American or French force committed against Isis. One thing is certain, the perception is that with the Russian mobilization the solution of the Syrian crisis seems closer and if international diplomacy wants to avert the fall of Assad and the collapse of Damascus under the blows of the jihadists, it's time to reach compromise in the name of realpolitik.
Russia defends his outpost on the Mediterranean, the reason that prompted Putin to intervene in Syria, rehabilitating the figure of Assad in spite of the disappointment of Obama, who aims for disengagement, because Putin could strengthen the front Alawite and, so much the worse, end up stuck in the Middle East quagmire.
The Middle East, now is of secondary importance to diplomacy with Stars and Stripes. As matter of the fact, the commitment of Washington is working for maintaining the current status quo and preventing that any foreign interference encourage local leaders to impose hegemony in the area, with the risk of promoting regional alliances or, on the contrary, fuel hostility historically sedimented. The Syrian conflict has had its political significance for the American government's decision to deal about Tehran's nuclear program. Subsequently, Syria has become marginal.
A silent war that continued to consume that land, completely abandoned to its fate. Anyway, the US has agreed that the Alawite regime of Assad should remain in power, because it can avert the country from falling into the network of militants of al-Baghdadi. A disengagement that moves away the spectre of Afghanistan. On the contrary, Syria plays a much more important role for Putin. In Syria, it is displaced a Soviet naval base. Russian involvement is only not limited to the defence of the flow into the Mediterranean Sea, but also because of the region's strategic nature. The active participation in the Syrian conflict means for the Kremlin to acquire a specific weight and get political concessions about Ukraine from the United States.
However, from the Western Front, Putin could hardly fail to affect in a decisive manner against Isis, on the contrary, he could more easily get stuck in the complex Middle East scenario. All this evokes for Russia the Afghan nightmare in the ‘80s. Moreover, the raids of the Holy Mother Russia complicate the already controversial relations with Ankara. As matter of the fact, the Russian attacks stop Turkey implementing a no-fly zone and extending its influence on the future government of Damascus. A tension that will weigh on the Turkish Stream pipeline, which replaces the South Stream and the American administration is trying to sabotage. Obama does not seem to change his mind, although it seems to be willing to open a dialogue with Tehran that - more than Russia - could solve the Syrian conflict. At the moment, the de-conflicting could be the first result of the meeting of Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The de-conflicting is a neologism that indicates the prevention of conflict. In this case, it means to avoid that, by mistake, a collision happens between the Russian military and the American or French force committed against Isis. One thing is certain, the perception is that with the Russian mobilization the solution of the Syrian crisis seems closer and if international diplomacy wants to avert the fall of Assad and the collapse of Damascus under the blows of the jihadists, it's time to reach compromise in the name of realpolitik.
Originally Published in Italian Language Media Site - CosmopolisMedia.
The work has been translated by the author herself.
About The Author:
Federica
Fanuli was graduated with honours in Political Science and International
Relations from the University of Salento and she has obtained a Master’s Degree
in Political Science, European Studies and International Relations at the same
University. Foreign Affairs analyst, she is Editorial Manager of Mediterranean
Affairs, a project aiming to provide analyses that cover the Mediterranean
area. Columnist of the Sunday Sentinel, she is Editorial Board Member of
Cosmopolismedia.it and Editor-at-large of IndraStra Global. She can be reached at her LinkedIn profile. Thomson Reuters ResearcherID : M-9093-2015