Assad is Moscow's pawn in regional power stakes
- 9 years ago
Europe’s struggle to use soft power in coping with Syrian refugees appears to be playing into Russia’s hands as it torques up the hard power.
As Moscow increases its military forces in Syria, will that reduce or increase the flow of refugees?
President Putin recently justified Russia’s steadfast support of the Assad regime against enemies, saying: “[The refugees] escape the radicals first of all. If Russia had not supported Syria, [it] would have been worse off than Libya, with an even bigger flow of refugees.”
Syria is an important piece in Putin’s global strategy. How important can be measured by the resources he is investing.
Russia considers fighting the Islamic State militant group (ISIL) a priority, and while President Bashar al-Assad continues to represent an asset there, Moscow will guard his back.
Satellite photos show Russia developing facilities along Syria’s coast, prompting observations that Russia may be preparing to add troops to combat planes, helicopters an
As Moscow increases its military forces in Syria, will that reduce or increase the flow of refugees?
President Putin recently justified Russia’s steadfast support of the Assad regime against enemies, saying: “[The refugees] escape the radicals first of all. If Russia had not supported Syria, [it] would have been worse off than Libya, with an even bigger flow of refugees.”
Syria is an important piece in Putin’s global strategy. How important can be measured by the resources he is investing.
Russia considers fighting the Islamic State militant group (ISIL) a priority, and while President Bashar al-Assad continues to represent an asset there, Moscow will guard his back.
Satellite photos show Russia developing facilities along Syria’s coast, prompting observations that Russia may be preparing to add troops to combat planes, helicopters an