Middle East Chessboard: Russia is 'outplaying' the US and not getting bogged down in Syria

Although the US still has the number 1 presence in the Middle East, Russia is currently gaining the upper hand over the US in Syria and several other Muslim countries.

On December 11, Russian President Putin made a surprise visit to Syria and announced the withdrawal of a significant portion of Russian troops from there. At the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, President Putin praised Russian soldiers for their excellent fight against international terrorists (referring to the terrorist organization IS) and said that they could now return home.

Russian President Putin (center), Syrian President Assad (left) and Russian Defense Minister Shoigu at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria on December 11. Photo: Sputnik.

“Over the past two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, have defeated the most capable international terrorist group,” President Putin said.

Russia began its military intervention in Syria in late 2015 to stop the IS group that was raging there at that time and to support the then-failing government of Syrian President al-Assad.

Don't get bogged down

Back then, then-US President Barack Obama predicted that Russia would “bog down” in the Syrian battlefield. Obama’s Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter also warned that Moscow’s approach was “doomed to failure.”

But at present, there is no sign that Russia is “bogged down” in Syria. On the contrary, Russia still shows confidence, initiative and the ability to “dominate the game” here.

In fact, the extremist Islamic terrorist organization IS has been defeated in Syria. Russia's military involvement in Syria has created a fundamental turning point in the fight against IS there. This has been recognized by the international community.

Meanwhile, officially only about four dozen Russian servicemen have died in Syria over the past two years. This is clearly a far cry from the roughly 14,000 Soviet soldiers who died in Syria.Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Russia has not only played a key role in defeating IS; it has also been a key supporter of the pro-Russian Syrian President Assad’s regime. The threat of Assad’s overthrow has been significantly reduced. After two years, the situation in Syria has rapidly changed in a direction favorable to the Assad regime and the Russia-Syria relationship. The US, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are no longer raising the issue of Assad’s departure in a political solution for Syria.

Thus Russia achieved their main objectives, with the lowest possible losses.

In addition, Russia has achieved other results. The fight against terrorism in Syria has been a valuable opportunity for the Russian army to train in real combat and test Russian-made weapons, including new ones, which have provided additional grounds for the modernization of the country's army. It has also been an opportunity to promote the products of the Russian arms industry. In fact, Russia has tested dozens of weapons, and foreign orders for them have increased significantly since then.

Expanding influence

Riding on the momentum of victory, Russia has steadily expanded its influence in the Middle East, using Syria as a springboard.

The Russian leadership does not want to return to the Cold War, nor does it want to get bogged down in a second Afghanistan. However, when conditions are favorable, they are ready and quick to take advantage of the opportunity to expand their influence not only in Syria but also in the Middle East.

Turkish President Erdogan (left) bids farewell to Russian President Putin (in the car) after their meeting in Ankara on December 11. Photo: EPA.

During his recent trip to the Middle East, in addition to Syria, President Putin also visited Türkiye and Egypt.

During Russian President Putin's visit to Egypt, the two sides signed many cooperation agreements in the economic field. Mr. Putin also expressed his intention to strengthen relations with Egypt in particular and the Middle East in general.

President Putin’s visit to Türkiye is also noteworthy because just two years ago, the relationship between Russia and Turkey was very tense and the leaders of the two countries criticized each other fiercely. But during the recent visit, both Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan shook hands and called each other “friend, dear friend”. And they did not stop at polite words. The heads of the two countries discussed practical bilateral and regional cooperation issues.

Notably, during his visit to the Middle East, President Putin expressed a positive view on Israel-Palestine relations, saying that negotiations must be resumed for the disputes between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the administration of US President Donald Trump, after the attack on a Syrian base in April, has basically backed down in its policy of engagement here.

Not only that, the US President has also further distanced the US from the Arab and Muslim world by declaring recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. And the Russians seem to be actively exploiting this to build a friendly and positive image in the Middle East.

Perhaps Russia is gradually emerging as the second most important external factor in the Middle East, after the US./.

According to VOV