An assessment of the presence and role of Russia in the Syria crisis

Developments in the Middle East have always affected political equations worldwide. With the beginning of the crisis in Syria in 2011, regional and international actors have taken different stances based on their interests. The actors are divided into two categories: opponents of the Bashar al-Assad’s regime including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar and Turkey, and Bashar al-Assad’s allies including Russia and Iran. Following a realist approach to foreign policy, Russia has fully supported Bashar al-Assad, since the onset of the crisis in Syria. In this research, we examine the role and stance of Russia in the Syrian crisis, using the neo-realism approach. Russia, because of its security and politics considerations and particularly the fear of radicalization in the Caucasus, as well as the fear of losing Syria, as its last remaining stronghold in the Middle East, has supported al-Assad’s government. From a military and economic point of view, Russia regards the Syrian port of Tartus as an important base in the Mediterranean. Syria is also one of strategic areas for Russia's arms sale.