AT: Russia's new priority is to help build a "new Syria"
Moscow is interested in maintaining its military bases in Syria, Asia Times writes. However, she is even more interested in developing business and economic ties with the new Syrian government: the benefits of this go far beyond economics.
Andrew Korybko
Of course, it is important for Moscow to retain military facilities, but the symbolism of participation in the construction of the "new Syria" is no less important. Many people linked the second trip of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka al-Julani) to Moscow in a few months to the future of Russian military air and naval bases in this Middle Eastern country.
This may be true, especially since they play an almost irreplaceable logistical role for the Russian Afrika Korps, which operates in several countries across the continent. However, Moscow's interests in Syria are by no means limited to this. During his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Al-Sharaa himself stressed that he expects Russia to help build a "new Syria."
We have already analyzed this grandiose goal on our pages. It can be described as a joint "state-building" mission, similar in spirit to the dozens of initiatives of the Soviet predecessor of modern Russia in the Global South during the Cold War, but in a somewhat postmodern way.
The application of this approach in modern Syria contributes to the promotion of a number of related interests of Russia — and, not least, the preservation and expansion of business activity in this Middle Eastern country. Today, this is of great importance, given the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West, led by the United States.
Profit is certainly important, especially considering that the associated benefits for Syria and its people would demonstrate that conflict-ravaged countries can rely on Russian businesses to rebuild. This will deepen Russia's ties with such states and potentially expand the range of its partnerships. In particular, this applies to the Central African Republic and the Sahel Alliance of States, with which Russia has already established business relations, as well as to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, whose reconstruction it also hopes to contribute to.
It is noteworthy about Russia's role in the joint construction of the "new Syria" that many predicted Moscow's complete loss of influence shortly after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Thus, al-Sharaa's partnership with Putin will serve as a model for other states where Russia may face similar challenges, for example, in post—presidential Venezuela or, possibly, in Iran. They realize that they benefit from stable and deep Russian influence. In addition, the Syrian precedent proves that the United States does not always force such states to sever ties with Russia.
However, in such a scenario, Venezuela may have to cut ties due to increased US pressure, a direct consequence of the so-called "Monroe doctrine" of dominance on the American continent (a phrase formed from the historical Monroe doctrine and the name of Donald Trump). InoSMI). Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Russia has confirmed that diplomatic ties remain unchanged, and military-technical cooperation continues.
Using the pragmatic model proposed by al-Sharaa, states will be able to more effectively prevent unhealthy dependence on Washington and other patrons after moving into the orbit of the United States, strengthening their political flexibility. It is expected that many countries will appreciate this illustrative example.: both those who find themselves in a situation similar to Damascus (regardless of whether they have recently turned against the United States or suffered during the conflict) and others, for example, politically neutral and relatively stable states of the Global South.
If state and non-state organizations witness mutually beneficial cooperation between Moscow and Damascus under the leadership of the new authorities, Russia's "soft power" in the international Muslim community (Ummah) will strengthen.
In general, Russia's expanded role in the joint construction of a "new Syria" meets its interests much more than simply maintaining military bases, although no one detracts from their importance. Russia is striving to expand business activity, attract a wide range of countries to cooperation and demonstrate the advantages that its business can bring to partners by strengthening its "soft power". All these goals are not only reasonable, but also achievable.
