Assad And Putin Give Each Other Leverage

The Russians and the Syrians are exploring their options, but broad conclusions remain premature.

Assad and Medviedev. Conspiracy in Action…

Question #1: If you were the Russian president and you want to find a way for punishing the US and Israel for training the Georgian army without stepping too much on Washington’s toes, what would you do?

Question #2: If you were the Syrian President negotiating with Israel from a position of weakness, what can you do to gain leverage?

If you find that two questions above point logically to each other, you’d understand why Israel and the US are nervous about a renewed proxy cold war in the Middle East. Russia’s anger at Israel and Syria’s need for leverage make a perfect match. But does that mean that we are moving towards an imminent era of confrontation between Washington and Moscow? 

Not necessarily. Both Damascus and Moscow could simply be exploring their options and showing their opponents what they’re capable of. What they both really want are good deals and better international stature. Both countries understand that the cold war is long dead and both countries don’t afford in the long run to be in confrontation with the “international community”. Russia wants to be integrated in international institutions and Syria wants to get out of its isolation.

Showing their ability to play spoilers could simply be deft negotiation maneuvers by the Russians and the Syrians to get better terms. All eyes are now on the Americans.