Will Bashar al-Assad be able to rebuild the country and deliver it from chaos?
In the presidential elections on May 26, Bashar al-Assad won more than 95% of the votes. According to the current constitution, this term will be the last for the president. But ...
In an interview, Ruslan Mamedov unpacks Moscow’s policy in Syria and its attitude toward Bashar al-Assad
Ruslan Mamedov is the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at the Russian International Affairs Council. He is also a researcher with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University). In late September,...
... return home. These refugees should be regarded not as a problem to be solved, but also as an important resource needed in Syria for a successful transformation of the country. Russia wants refugees to return to Syria more than does the government of Bashar Al-Assad itself, which does not see the pros of welcoming them back.
Both Moscow and Western capitals agree that Syria needs major injections of funds from foreign investors and large-scale external help to rebuild itself. External assistance cannot ...
... brutally suppressing opposition protests. A number of Arab capitals recalled their ambassadors. Remarkably, most of the countries that voted to expulse Damascus from the League were a long way from having a valid claim to being exemplary democracies. Bashar al-Assad said that at the time that he did not accept the decision of Arab ministers to suspend Syria from the pan-Arab organization and believed that it was unfair and illegal. Clearly he had every reason to say this, as the decision was essentially ...
The formation of various paramilitary structures has undermined the stability of the regime
2017 marked a turning point in the Syrian conflict. With the full support of Russia and Iran, the Bashar al-Assad regime was able to neutralize the “domestic threat” completely. Throughout 2017, Damascus used the situation to carry out “outlying” operations, manipulating the ceasefire agreements and other accords reached as part of the Astana ...
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The military conflict in Syria has affected the structure of the inner circle. In particular, the decision-making process is now influenced by figures who have made their way to the top during the course of the civil war. At the same time, some of Bashar al-Assad’s former confidantes have been forced to flee the country and effectively defect to the opposition.
The Defectors
The latter include, among others, the influential Tlass clan of Circassian origin. Until his death in 2017, the Tlass family ...
... Kremlin’s policies than any other major candidate for the presidency. Notably:
Trump wants the U.S. to defer to Russia in Syria and let it “fight ISIS” there, and agreed with Putin’s backing of Syrian's murderous President Bashar al-Assad.
Trump is against the U.S. taking a large role in helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, and his campaign people also aggressively saw to it that language calling for the U.S. government to supply arms to the Ukrainian ...
With western media continuing to blame Russia and its allies for the escalation of violence in Syria and elsewhere, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told participants at the Munich Security Conference-- itself a relic of the Cold War designed to promote defense spending-- that “all sides in Syria are guilty.”
Speaking to the same audience in Munich, Russian prime minister Dmitry Ledbedev said he feels Western Europe and NATO are conducting relations with Russia, treating Moscow...
People claiming that the withdrawal from Iraq of U.S. forces carried out by the Obama Administration from 2010-2011 explains the rise of the terrorist group ISIS have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. A simple look at the timeline, geography, facts, context, and history concerning the withdrawal and the rise of ISIS makes this abundantly clear and provable beyond any reasonable doubt. Ultimately, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's policies and the dynamics of Syria's raging...
The Book "
History Of Syria - XX century
", by Elza Pir-Budagova, is an analysis of the development of Syria since the beginning of the First World War as one of the Vilayets of the Ottoman Empire until the coming to power of Bashar al-Assad in 2000. Special attention is paid to the period of formation of the Baath party, which radically changed the historical course of the country. In addition, the author analyzes the Arab-Israeli conflict and its implications for the country ...