Russian intervention in Syria

Fuad Itayim

Dania Adra

English 203

20 October 2015


In Michael Young’s piece in the Daily Star, “Don’t overrate Russian moves in Syria”, he gives his analysis of the Russian military strikes in Syria. He says that Putin has “made Russia the West’s principal interlocutor over Syria, when for a long time the assumption was that Iran called the shots in Damascus” (The Daily Star – Young). He also goes on to say that “the Assad regime prefers that Russia be its primary sponsor” (The Daily Star – Young). This analysis doesn’t apply to the reality of the situation because it’s not a matter of Russia replacing Iran as the Syrian government’s sponsor. Syria continues to have a very close relationship with both Russia and Iran, who, themselves, are allies coordinating together and with the Syrian government. Young says that the purpose of the Russian strikes is to “shift the balance of power on the ground in Assad’s favor” (The Daily Star – Young), which is true, however, he then goes on to say that “Russia’s primary targets will not be ISIS, but the armed groups that pose more of an immediate threat to the regime” (The Daily Star – Young). In fact, the Russians have been bombing ISIS on a daily basis. According to their ministry of defense, in just the last 24 hours, 49 ISIS targets have been bombed. “In working to weaken opposition groups militarily, the Russians may effectively help ISIS” (The Daily Star – Young), he says. This argument doesn’t hold because even though some rebel groups are fighting ISIS, their primary objective is to the defeat the Syrian Army, which is, in fact, the main ground force in the fight against ISIS. Most importantly, Young doesn’t seem to give any importance to how much of a threat ISIS can pose to Russia. According to Putin, there are over 5,000 Chechen militants fighting with ISIS and Jabhat al Nusra in Syria. In the event that the Syrian regime collapses, the return of these fighters to Russia will be a major destabilizing factor for the country, and this is the most important motive driving Russia’s military intervention in Syria.

On the other hand, Young makes several valid points. He says that the deployment of the Russian air force in Syria has “neutralized any prospective Turkish and American effort to establish a no-fly zone over northern Syria” (The Daily Star – Young). This is true. Had a no fly-zone been established, the Syrian air force would no longer have been able to conduct its own airstrikes on that part of the country. While the Russians have not replaced the Iranians in Syria as Young suggested, it is true that they have “an open line to the Americans and Europeans” (The Daily Star – Young). He also says that they have a working relationship with the Arab States, who are “more comfortable dealing with Putin than they are with the Iranian Regime” (The Daily Star – Young). This is a valid point because both Iran and the Gulf states are major players in the Syrian civil war, yet cooperation between them is difficult due to political rivalry and regional tension. Young talks about the United States’ and the Europeans’ lack of a coherent strategy in Syria. He makes a good point when he says that this is not necessarily to the Russians’ advantage, adding that Putin “ultimately needs some Western coherence in order to arrive at any comprehensive deal over Syria” (The Daily Star – Young). Finally, Young brings up the possibility of things going wrong for the Russians in Syria. For Putin to achieve his objective, he may need to deploy up to 5000 personnel. Young says this would be “a serious investment in a war that has become a quagmire for everyone” (The Daily Star – Young) adding that “many Russians recall what happened in Afghanistan, so Putin’s backing at home may slowly erode if the Syrian operation begins to sour” (The Daily Star – Young). He is right in that the Russians do not want to get mixed up in a long war that may negatively affect public opinion in Russia. 

Work Cited:

Young, Michael. "Don't Overrate Russian Moves in Syria." The Daily Star Newspaper. N.p., 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.