An Analysis of Russian Foreign Policy in the Fight Against Takfiri Terrorism in Syria

Takfiri Terrorism is a phenomenon that has influenced foreign Policy in different Countries over the past decade as they have pursued some strategies to deal with this threat. Russia is one of the most important countries facing this threat in its domestic and foreign realms. Given that many terrorists operating in Syria and Iraq possess Russian nationality, it is a major concern for Russia if they return to their homeland and threaten Russian national security. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze Russia’s foreign Policy in countering Takfiri terrorism. The main question of the article is: what are the most important variables affecting Russian foreign policy in countering Takfiri terrorism in Syria and how can it be analyzed? The findings of the paper illustrate that Russia’s foreign policy in fighting Takfiri terrorism can be explained according to the domestic level of analysis (decision making Variables) as well as macro-level of analysis (the international system variable). Thus, Russian foreign policy on this issue is influenced by individual, functional, political, social and international variables.