No. 175: Russia and the Conflict in Syria

Author(s): Mark N. Katz, Philipp Casula
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perović, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 175
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2015

This edition considers Russia’s recent intervention and role in the ongoing Syrian conflict. Firstly, Mark Katz argues that it is doubtful that Moscow’s recent efforts to support the Assad regime will militarily or diplomatically bring an end to the conflict, or that Russia can avoid the costs of becoming involved in the Syrian quagmire. Secondly, Philipp Casula analyzes the coverage of the Syrian conflict in Russian media outlets and discusses the recent Russian efforts to broker a diplomatic solution to the conflict, noting that Moscow has made at least a modest contribution in bringing a variety of actors in the conflict around one negotiating table in Vienna in late October 2015.

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