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Displaying items by tag: Russia

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Thursday, 03 December 2020 18:19

Syria’s fragile balances and the looming threat of a new vicious circle of instability

Syria’s fragile balances and the looming threat of a new vicious circle of instability

syria troubled assadDespite the latest ceasefire in Idlib, tensions are once again rising across Syria. In the northwest, the high mobility in Idlib indicates that renewed fighting is rather a matter of timing, while in the south and east, escalating assassination campaigns in Daraa and Deir ez-Zor generate new dangerous dynamics. In central and eastern Syria, the resurgence of ISIS cells further exposes a severe security vacuum that opens way for intensive influence competition between the Kurds and the regime. Last but not least, the unprecedented economic crisis that face the country threatens to derail even the minimum stability enjoyed in Syria at the moment.

Published in Middle East Flashpoints
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Sunday, 05 April 2020 21:15

Syria’s never-ending war(s); or why the end of the civil war does not mean peace

Syria’s never-ending war(s); or why the end of the civil war does not mean peace

syria flag in the rubblesAs the Syrian civil war nears its end, the regime’s imminent victory against the remaining opposition forces in Idlib tends to be overshadowed by several emerging issues that threaten to trigger a new circle of instability. In the meantime, irrespective of any outcome in the north, another ‘war’ still rages and will continue to rage in the country. The one between Iran, which struggles to recover from the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, and Israel, which meticulously tries to fend off the former’s entrenchment in the country.

Published in Middle East Flashpoints
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Thursday, 03 October 2019 16:27

Quagmire and fragile alliances in Northern Syria: from Kurdish-held Rojava to the Idlib rebels’ bastion

Quagmire and fragile alliances in Northern Syria: from Kurdish-held Rojava to the Idlib rebels’ bastion

syria us turkey troopsThe ongoing process of the “safe zone” establishment in Northeastern Syria and the management of the Idlib province further complicate and strain relations between allies, jeopardizing an already fragile and volatile state of affairs. The reconciliation of the incompatible aims of all parties involved therein is an uphill task. Both the US and Russia struggle to balance the colliding interests of their allies on the ground, whilst maintaining good ties with Turkey appears pivotal for them. For its part, Turkey, pressed by its domestic problems, is using the refugees and the jihadist threat as bargaining chips in negotiations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published in Middle East Flashpoints
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Monday, 14 January 2019 12:17

Russia in the Middle East: The Russian Bear in Mind | Middle East Bulletin 35

Russia in the Middle East: The Russian Bear in Mind | Middle East Bulletin 35
Published in Middle East Bulletin
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Monday, 19 March 2018 12:16

Interview with Dmitri Trenin, author of What is Russia Up To in the Middle East?

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Follow this link for our book review of Dmitri Trenin, What is Russia Up To in the Middle East? (Polity Press, 2018).

Published in Interviews
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Monday, 19 March 2018 11:54

Dmitri Trenin, What is Russia Up To in the Middle East?, Polity Press, 2018

Dmitri Trenin, What is Russia Up To in the Middle East?, Polity Press, 2018

Dmitri Trenin’s book is a welcome contribution to a thin body of print on Russian politics in the MENA region. Rather than enunciating in detail Putin’s regional policies -by definition an impossible task in 140 small pages- Trenin offers a succinct summation of these policies, their short-term impact and their perceptions by the region’s states. Well-versed in Russia’s geopolitical Weltanschauung, Trenin is aware of the country’s perennial interests in the greater Middle East. Far from a newcomer to the region, Russia has after all had a ‘rich history of involvement’. Yet continuities are often punctured by ruptures: the demise of the Soviet Union and the rejection of its mediating initiatives in the First Gulf War meant that the Middle East ‘almost vanished’ from Russian foreign policy. Moscow’s restoration of ties with Israel in the fall of 1991 and its co-chairing of the Arab-Israeli peace conference in Madrid the same year looked more like spasmodic attempts at survival of a flittering giant.

Published in Book Reviews
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Monday, 13 November 2017 20:29

The Iran-Turkey-Russia alignment: The devil is in the details

The Iran-Turkey-Russia alignment: The devil is in the details

russia turkey presidentsThe decision of the Kurdistan Regional Government to proceed with the independence bid on September 25, precipitated a serious crisis in the region. Seemingly, one important question to be addressed is the consequences the Kurdish referendum engenders to the recently shaped Iran-Turkey-Russia axis, particularly on the Syrian issue. Whereas Iran and Turkey often find themselves at loggerheads over regional issues, their shared concern in preventing Kurdish statehood, seems to provide the necessary fuel towards cooperation, if not alliance-building. Russia, in the meanwhile, has adopted a “wait-and-see” policy on the matter. Still, the extent to this cooperation can be much constrained by their own diverging interests in the region.

Published in Middle East Flashpoints
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Wednesday, 21 June 2017 00:05

Egypt: There and back again | Middle East Bulletin 32

Egypt: There and back again | Middle East Bulletin 32
Published in Middle East Bulletin
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 02:00

China and India in the Middle East | Middle East Bulletin 4

China and India in the Middle East | Middle East Bulletin 4
Published in Middle East Bulletin
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Wednesday, 24 February 2016 02:00

Russo-Iranian Relations: A Friendship Found Between Tactic and Strategic Partnership

In the last decade and a half, most analysts argue that the Russo-Iranian relation is primarily driven by external factors, particularly their desire to counter the US hegemony in the broader region, rather than the bilateral relations. Seen under the prism of a zero-sum game, the rapprochement of Tehran with the West brings many analysts to re-evaluate and question the Russian-Iranian ties. The arguments seem to lean towards Iran shunning Russia, disregarding multiple crucial factors related to the Iranian domestic political scene, their collaboration in Syria and even in the Caucasus. Despite the limitations and the ‘watchfulness’ between Moscow and the Islamic Republic, these factors will hinder any serious regression in their cooperation in the near future.
Published in Middle East Flashpoints
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