The 20th Masarat issue, published November 2015/Safar 1437.

When Russia jumped into the fray, adding yet another layer of complexity to the already intractable Syrian conflict, commentators and politicians responded predominantly by projecting their hopes unto a game-changer seen as shifting a hurting stalemate toward its denouement. The prospect of a dangerous escalation making the crisis even more difficult to solve was largely dismissed, based on a rather speculative and wishful understanding of Russia’s intentions or capacities.

This paper, systematically unpacks and analyses Moscow’s role in Syria, in a historical perspective, and seeks to identify exactly in what ways Russia can be expected to help.