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Syria policy of the United States: Trump's birthday present for Putin

2019-10-14T19:41:30.010Z


After the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, the way is clear for Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the last major power in the region, Moscow can now pursue its interests undisturbed.



Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 67. And it was a coincidence that it was on his birthday that his colleague Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw US forces from northeastern Syria. For Putin, the news will have felt like a present: Russia is now the only major power that is present in Syria and has a strong say. The West, on the other hand, has given up: the Europeans are just fainting, and the Americans are clearing the field completely.

It is a triumph for Russian politics. Its main strength is that it does not spoil itself in a conflict-ridden region with any side. Between Shiites and Sunnis, Turks and Kurds, Israel and Syria, Persians and Arabs, Moscow has always tried to keep its balance, at least externally. And this policy is now paying off as Turkey begins a major offensive against the Syrian-Kurdish forces in the neighboring country. It is no coincidence that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first informed Putin in person on 9 October before he announced his military operation on Twitter.

What can Moscow hope for in the new constellation?

  • Russia's influence in the region , already big, has grown again. The United States has proven that they can not rely on it - they have dropped their Kurdish allies. Moscow promised the Kurds less from the start, so it was less disappointing.
  • The Syrian Kurds are forced to submit to dictator Bashar al-Assad. This strengthens the regime and is in Russia's sense. "Moscow's most important task is to extend the jurisdiction of the regime in Damascus," says foreign policy expert Fyodor Lukyanov. "Now the Kurds themselves are forced to ask for it."
  • The new buffer zone in northeastern Syria Turkey wants to create is acceptable to Russia. The Kremlin has repeatedly and loudly emphasized Turkey's legitimate interest in a safe southern border. To a certain extent, this was a safeguard for the Kremlin against Ankara's accusation of interfering with its military operation in the Turkish sphere of influence. Important for Moscow is only one condition: the buffer zone may not be occupied by Turkey , Syrian forces must formally have the say. This is meant by the formula of "respect for sovereignty" that Putin values. Erdogan was also talked about, the Kremlin reported after the 9 October telephone conversation.
  • And finally, Moscow is pleased when Turkey and its Western partners disperse. It's a way to weaken NATO . And although Trump Erdogan did a great favor as he withdrew his troops and cleared the way for a Turkish offensive, there is no sign of a rapprochement between Washington and Ankara (which Moscow fears). Trump is rumbling on Twitter long ago new threats to Turkey. It does not look like Erdogan is getting out of Putin's embrace right now.

Read here, an analysis of Erdogan's plans in Syria

Erdogan's plans for SyriaThe occupying power

In fact, Moscow has made Erdogan's offensive possible, says Middle East expert Kirill Semyonov, because it has brought peace to the Idlib region in western Syria. There Assad's troops besieged with Russian help, the last stronghold of the armed and largely pro-Turkish opposition. Every attack on Idlib means new refugees and problems for Erdogan. Since a new ceasefire in September, the fighting has subsided there, "but that has given Ankara virtually a free hand," says Semyonov.

Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has gone to visit the region - on Monday he was in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and of course he had brought a gift for King Salman. It is a hunting falcon from Kamchatka.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-10-14

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