Tag: Syria
NEWSLINK Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Proposes Deal With Russia to Ground Syrian Air Force. Washington would help Moscow with targeting to avoid striking U.S.-backed opposition fighters.”
RBTH: The 3 key areas of disagreement between Moscow and Damascus
Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia has been seen as a loyal ally to Bashar Assad, giving unwavering support to the Syrian president. Yet, the positions of Moscow and the Syrian regime are far from identical. Russia advocates a political solution to the crisis, whereas Assad sees war as the answer. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – […]
» Read moreVIDEO & TRANSCRIPT: Russian Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights – U.S. Senate Testimony by Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland
Russian Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights Testimony, Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Washington, DC, June 7, 2016, As prepared [Video of hearing also appeared here http://www.c-span.org/video/?410738-1/federal-officials-testify-human-rights-violations-russia][Video includes all speakers and some lawmakers; Nuland testimony transcript follows below] Thank you Chairman Corker, Ranking Member Cardin, and members […]
» Read moreThe Futility of Dialogue With Putin
(Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 13, Issue 100 – Pavel K. Baev – May 23, 2016) The need to keep the channels of dialogue open with an unpredictable Russia is taken as an absolute imperative by many Western politicians. But they are often surprised when this tactic backfires. The foreign ministers of the member states of […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH: “The Inevitable Decline of Putin’s Russia” – US News/Paul Shinkman
The downfall of the Soviet Union has taken on renewed resonance in 2016, as a similar set of pressures appears to be aligning against America’s former Cold War foe, raising questions as to whether it, too, may overtax itself. … the Kremlin in the early 2000s consolidated a resurgent Russia’s economic power among a few trusted business elites, failing to […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK theduran/Alexander Merocuris: “Russia’s Military Builds Up in Syria”
RBTH: What problems has the Syrian operation revealed in the Russian army?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Russian campaign in Syria has highlighted a number of problems with the armed forces that need to be addressed. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, RBTH – May 13, 2016) At a meeting with military officials and heads of the military-industrial complex on May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Russia Direct: “What does Victory Day mean for Russia after Ukraine and Syria? Today Russians look at Victory Day through the lens of the war in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s Syria military operation. However, it might bring about three negative implications both for Russia and the world.”
Russia Braces Itself as Syrian Cease-fire Falters
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – April 28, 2016) Not two months have passed since President Vladimir Putin declared mission accomplished in Syria, and again the war-ravaged nation is on the brink. Russia’s partial withdrawal coincided with the launch of a new round of UN-mediated talks in Geneva. But with negotiations falling apart, the status quo of full-blown […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH: “Iran and Russia Move Closer but Their Alliance Has Limits” – Reuters
When Iran took delivery of the first parts of an advanced Russian air defense system this month, it paraded the anti-aircraft missile launchers … to mark Army Day. … the Kremlin’s decision a year ago to press ahead with the stalled sale of the S-300 system was the first clear evidence of a growing partnership between Russia and Iran that […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Gordon Hahn: “Pentagon Mixing StratComm and ‘CYA’ in Campaign against Russia’s Syria Intervention”
NEWSLINK Washington Post editorial: “The U.S. props up Syria’s sham cease-fire. As long as Mr. Obama counts on Mr. Putin to cooperate, violence will continue.”
NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Russia. Down But Not Out. Part I.” – Foreign Affairs/Maria Lipman, Sergei Guriev, Daniel Treisman, Katie Allawala
Over the past decade and a half, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been an economic dynamo and a basket case, an imperfect democracy and a tightening tyranny, a constructive diplomatic actor and a serial military aggressor—sometimes all at once. The only constant has been surprise, as the zigging and zagging has left outside observers, and even many Russians, scratching their heads. […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Syria Defies Russia in Bid to Keep Assad. Damascus, emboldened by battlefield victories, pushes a political plan even as allies prepare military offensive to retake Aleppo.” – Wall Street Journal
NEWSLINK The National Interest/Alexander Decina and Eugene Steinberg: “How to Play Putin’s Game in Syria. Moscow wants prestige. That means the conflict is not as zero-sum as it may seem.”
NEWSLINK RBTH/Izvestia: “Russian experts: U.S. can’t do without Russia in Syria. Russian and American servicemen are secretly working together in Syria as part of the fight against ISIS, say Russian analysts, who argue that cooperation is unavoidable”
EVENT: “Distract, Deceive, Destroy: Putin at War in Syria” – April 5, 2016, 2:30 pm, in Washington, D.C.
TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT: Remarks by the President at the 2016 Toner Prize Ceremony [excerpt re: Putin]
(White House – March 28, 2016) The White House Office of the Press Secretary March 28, 2016 Remarks by the President at the 2016 Toner Prize Ceremony. (excerpt re Putin) THE PRESIDENT: I’ll tell you — I probably maybe shouldn’t do this, but what the heck, I’m in my last year. (Laughter.) I had an in-depth conversation with President Putin […]
» Read moreRyabkov: timeframe for drafting Syria’s new constitution quite strict, but it is not fact it will be observed
MOSCOW. March 29 (Interfax) – The timeframe for preparing a new draft constitution for Syria is quite strict, but no deadlines have been set, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said. “It is all relative,” Ryabkov said after being asked by Interfax whether August is a deadline for the drawing up of Syria’s draft constitution. “It is necessary to […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russian air operation [in] Syria not aimed at backing al-Assad – Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) – The Russian military operation in Syria is not aimed at supporting the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Sunday. “It is not al-Assad we are backing. Bear in mind: he was not our best friend, but a friend of the West,” she told reporters. “We supported preservation of the […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Gordon Hahn: “Russia’s Syria Intervention and Withdrawal: New Details”
NEWSLINK The National Interest/Alexander Kirss: “Russia’s Artful Exit from Syria. Moscow entered and exited the conflict all within five months”
Moscow Accuses Itself
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – The Daily Vertical: Brian Whitmore – March 24, 2016) Well, it was predictable, but Sergei Lavrov has not let us down. He’s proven yet again the axiom that if you want to know what Russia is doing, pay close attention to what it accuses the West of doing. The Russian foreign minister yesterday urged Europe to […]
» Read moreRBTH: Why does Moscow need Syrian Kurdistan?
Why is the Kremlin supporting the Syrian Kurds, who are now complicating the reginal picture by pushing for federalization, and how will this affect Russian assistance to the Bashar al-Assad regime? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – SERGEI DEMIDENKO, SPECIAL TO RBTH – March 24, 2016) Sergei Demidenko is a Middle East expert and professor at the Russian Presidential […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “U.S.-Russia thaw? Kerry arrives in Moscow for Syria talks. Though a breakthrough is unlikely, there is a growing cooperation on Syria, which many Russians hope will ease the tensions between the Washington and Moscow.” – Christian Science Monitor
Syria analyst: Damascus cannot take Russian support for granted
Russia’s recent air campaign in Syria has had mixed effects on the civil war there. RBTH interviewed Noah Bonsey, Senior Syria Analyst at International Crisis Group, an NGO that researches conflicts and aims to advance policies for their resolution, as he returned from a recent field trip to Syria. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI SHEVCHENKO, RBTH – […]
» Read moreIt Isn’t Time to Normalize With Russia Yet
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Marc Champion – March 22, 2016) Marc Champion writes editorials on international affairs. He was previously Istanbul bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. He was also an editor at the Financial Times, the editor-in-chief of the Moscow Times and a correspondent for the Independent in Washington, the Balkans and Moscow. He is based in London. […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russia submits proposals to U.S. on monitoring truce in Syria
(Interfax – March 21, 2016) The Russian Defense Ministry submitted proposals on the provision and monitoring of the cessation of hostilities in Syria to the United States on Feb. 25 through military diplomatic channels, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Main Operative Department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, has said. “This document specifies a mechanism of consultations […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK The Blog Mire: “Is Putin Weaponising Stupidity?”
NEWSWATCH: “How Putin Could Make Russia Great Again” – Newsweek.com/William Courtney, Donald Jensen
After Russia annexed Crimea … Obama dismissed it as a regional power that acts ‘out of weakness.’ [ ] Russia is more … but a penchant for zero-sum statecraft and coercing neighbors lessens its stature. By cooperating more in the international arena, Russia could become a greater power. … Putin’s announcement of a military drawdown in Syria hints that Russia […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “SYRIA: U.S.-RUSSIAN TEPID WAR. Syria appears unlikely to serve as a vehicle to improve the wider U.S.-Russia relationship in any sustainable way. A U.S.-Russian Tepid War can still lead to plenty of collateral damage.” – Valdai/Paul Saunders
NEWSLINK Businessinsider.com: “Vladimir Putin just did the US a huge favor” [George Friedman]
NEWSLINK TASS: “Russian military to stay in Syria to protect Hmeimim, Tartus bases – Kremlin”
NEWSLINK: Financial Times/Fyodor Lukyanov: “Russia is following a clear strategy in Syria; Few in Moscow believe that the Assad regime will last long without changes, writes Fyodor Lukyanov”
NEWSWATCH: “Don’t Fear the Russians” – New York Times/Anatol Lieven
Writing in the New York Times, Anatol Lieven argues for greater U.S.-Russian engagement on Ukraine and Syria. If you believe many of the commentators and policy makers in Washington … Putin … is an expansionist on the march. … he annexed Crimea and fueled a destabilizing conflict in eastern Ukraine. … intervened in the Syrian civil war and rescued his […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting with Russian Armed Forces service personnel
(Kremlin.ru – March 17, 2016) At a meeting in the Kremlin’s St George Hall, Vladimir Putin presented state decorations to service personnel and defence industry specialists who distinguished themselves in the performance of special missions in the Syrian Arab Republic. More than 700 officers and men of the Aerospace Forces, the Ground Forces and the Navy attended the ceremony, along […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK TASS/VTsIOM: “Every fourth Russian [four out of ten respondents] assesses results of Russian operation in Syria as positive – poll
NEWSWATCH: “What is the best way to describe Vladimir Putin’s Russia?” – Reuters/John Lloyd
In January of this year, a British judge, Robert Owen, said … Putin … was ‘probably’ a murderer. * * * Litvinenko’s widow, Marina … called on Prime Minister David Cameron to expel all Russian spies … and for a range of … sanctions … on several figures close to the murder … includ[ing Putin] himself. * * * In […]
» Read moreRussia’s militant migrant challenge
Russia’s terrorist threat has evolved. But the authorities are yet to evolve with it. (opendemocracy.net – Mark Galeotti – March 17, 2016) Mark Galeotti is Professor of Global Affairs at New York University’s SCPS Center for Global Affairs. He blogs on Russian security affairs at In Moscow’s Shadows and tweets as @MarkGaleotti. Why did Uzbek nanny Gyulchekhra Bobokulova call out […]
» Read moreRBTH: Syria withdrawal: Which of Russia’s forces are being pulled out?
Russia is withdrawing more than half of its fighters and bombers from Syria, while leaving its missile defense systems and naval fleet in the Mediterranean, Russian military experts told RBTH. Despite the pullout, the Russian armed forces will continue to strike positions Moscow says are held by ISIS militants. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, RBTH – […]
» Read moreSyria Opposition Says Russian Military Pullout Helps Peace Talks
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer – March 15, 2016) Syria’s main opposition group said Russia’s withdrawal of forces from the country will help peace talks in Geneva, even as a top Russian military official said that airstrikes will continue against terrorists. The pullout ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin is “a positive step which will help to move forward […]
» Read moreRBTH: Russia has changed course of civil war in Syria, say analysts
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of the main part of the military group in Syria. According to Russian observers, the pullout will affect land and aerospace forces, while the fleet and missile defense and intelligence systems will stay in the region. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, RBTH – March 15, 2016) Russian President […]
» Read moreRBTH: Moscow is winding down its presence in Syria. Why? Why now?
Observers are hotly debating the true reasons for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to downsize and refocus the military operation in Syria, with some describing it as a tactical withdrawal while others label it an acknowledgement of failure. What is really behind the unexpected decision, and what will happen now? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, SPECIAL […]
» Read morePutin’s Pullout: Behind Russia’s New Syria Surprise
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Steve Gutterman – March 15, 2016) Vladimir Putin surprised his country and the world on March 14 by ordering the start of a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, less than six months after the beginning of an air campaign that followed a swift and secretive buildup on the ground. What are the motives and […]
» Read moreInterfax: Moscow expects Syrian armed forces to take over fight against IS from Russian Aerospace Forces – diplomat
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) – The terrorist threat in Syria still persists, even despite “ISIL’s broken back,” and Russia expects the Syrian army to take on the main burden of opposing this threat, says Vladimir Andreyev, a deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of New Challenges and Threats. “Naturally, the terrorist threat persists, even with a broken back, […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting with Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu
(Kremlin.ru – March 14, 2016) Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to address issues of settling the Syrian crisis. The President gave an order to begin withdrawing the main part of Russian troops from the Syrian Arab Republic on March 15. The President of Russia also instructed the Foreign Ministry […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Washington Post: “As energy prices drop, ordinary Russians are protesting”
… Once prosperous enough to afford expensive Moscow apartments, they are now staggering under an economic burden fueled by geopolitical conflict and the plummeting price of oil. * * * Russia’s foreign-policy adventures … in Ukraine … in Syria — have tied up state resources …. The drop in energy prices has drained government coffers and sent the ruble skidding […]
» Read moreObama: Ukraine ‘Vulnerable’ To Russian ‘Military Domination’ No Matter What U.S. Does
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – March 10, 2016) U.S. President Barack Obama said that Ukraine “is going to be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what” the United States does. In one of a series of interviews published on March 10 that formed the basis of an article in The Atlantic magazine, Obama said that Ukraine was clearly a […]
» Read moreTwo Faces of Russia’s Foreign Policy
(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov – March 9, 2016) Originally many in the West tended to view Russia’s Syrian adventure as yet another one of “Moscow’s gambits.” Commentators described Ukraine and Syria in the same breath. But Russia is eager to demonstrate that the two projects could hardly be more different and that Moscow can be two things […]
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