Journal Press India^®

Author Details ( * ) denotes Corresponding author

The Syrian Civil War has been one of the most devastating wars in the post-Cold War era, which has had multifarious effects globally; and at the same time has brought back the nostalgia of Cold War politics as we have seen the US and Russia pull the strings quite overtly to expand their geopolitical influence. The US has successfully orchestrated regime changes across the countries in the Arab region even if it may have resulted in perpetual civil & political chaos but Syria has been an exception to the phenomenon. This paper is a sincere attempt at investigating how and why the Bashar al-Assad regime survived the brutal warfare over the years despite the odds being stacked against it. One of the most crucial factors that led to the failure of US intervention in Syria is the Russian support, both political & military, that the government in Damascus enjoys. Analysing the Syrian civil war from the Russian angle is crucial to understanding what the strife has come to and how it has been so. There are other actors in this international relations hotbed, but the Russians by far seem to have played the biggest role. ​

Keywords

Civil war; Syria; Russia; Authoritarianism

1. Amos, H. (2011). News analysis: Russia damages image in Arab spring. Retrieved from https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2011/08/25/news-analysis-russia-damages-image-in-arab-spring-a9152.
2. Baltes, C.M. (2016). Causes and consequences of the Syrian civil war. University of South Carolina-Columbia. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1106&context=senior_theses
3. Breslauer, G. (2016). Soviet strategy in the Middle East. London: Routledge.
4. Carey, G. (2018). Syria’s civil war. [online] Bloomberg.com. Retrieved from: https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/syrias-civil-war.
5. Dam, N. (2011). The struggle for power in Syria (4th ed.). London: I. B. Tauris.
6. Dearden, L. (2015). The Syrian regime says its new ground offensive will 'eliminate terrorists'. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-army-general-says-new-ground-offensive-backed-by-russian-air-strikes-will-eliminate-a6686086.html.
7. European Commission. (2011). Syria: EU bilateral trade and trade with the world. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/syria/.
8. Gibbons-Neff, T. (2016). How Russian special forces are shaping the fight in Syria. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/29/how-russian-special-forces-are-shaping-the-fight-in-syria/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.51ffed 678bc4.
9. Hinnebusch, R. (2008). Modern Syrian politics. History Compass, 6(1), 263–285.
10. Ivanova, P. (2018). Russia establishing permanent presence at its Syria bases - RIA. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-russia-bases/russia-establishing-permanent-presence-at-its-syria-bases-ria-cites-minister-idUSR4N1OL01B.
11. Khashoggi, J. (January 11, 2014). Al Arabiya News, ISIS outshines Al-Qaida cruelty. Retrieved from http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/01/11/ ISILoutshines-al-Qaeda-s-cruelty.html.
12. Khasraw-Gulmohamad, Z. (2014). The rise and fall of the Islamic state of Iraq and Al-Sham (Levant) ISIS. Global Security Studies, 5(2), 1-11.
13. Kreutz, A. (2007). Russia in the Middle East. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Security International.
14. Mandraud, I. (2015). Putin engages himself in Syria to put Assad back in the saddle. Retrieved from https://ppiccini52.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/poutine-sengage-en-syrie-pour-remettre-assad-en-selle/.
15. Muir, J. (2016). Syria conflict: Temporary partial truce comes into effect. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36176721.
16. Russia defends arms sales to Syria. (2008). United Press India, September 29, 2008 Retrieved from https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/29/Russia_defends_arms_ sales_to_Syria/UPI-28611222726785/.
17. TRAC (2014). Islamic state of Iraq and ash Sham (Islamic state of Iraq, ISIS or ISIL). Retrieved from January 7 2014. http://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/islamic-state-iraq-islamic-state-iraqand-sham-isis.
18. Trenin, D. (2012). Why Russia supports Assad. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/opinion/why-russia-supports-assad.html.