Analysis: Russia Gambles in Syria, Ramping Up Involvement

Associated Press
By: Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam

 

BEIRUT (AP) — In ramping up its military involvement in Syria’s civil war, Russia appears to be betting that the West, horrified by the Islamic State group’s spread and an escalating migrants crisis, may be willing to quietly tolerate President Bashar Assad for a while, perhaps as part of a transition.

The logic is that prioritizing the fight with the jihadis means accepting Assad as the less bad option despite his own brutal acts, and might produce a more effective and coordinated fight in the air and on the ground…

A recent analysis by The Soufan Group, a New York-based private risk assessment company, predicted worsening conflict amid the regional maneuvering.

“Already a lethal cauldron of regional proxy warfare, Syria will further deteriorate if the U.S. and Russia use both sides of the civil war as leverage against the other,” it said.

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