Carta OpinionGlobal, 15.03.2020 Riad Fouad Saade, empresario libanés y consul honorario de Chile en Beirut
In the past weeks the conflict in North West Syria between The Syrian Arab Army of President Assad, backed by Russia, and the Turkish Forces, has been fierce and lethal. Much was written and said, with a large consensus of a Syrian victory over Turkey and a shameful defeat of President Erdogan. Such news came mainly from Russian controlled media such as Russia Today, Sputnik or The Saker.
This seems to be closer to daily propaganda served to the public flock reflecting the idea of the “Tree hiding the Forest”. This would reduce the conflict to a border issue between Turkey from one side and Syria supported by Russia and Iran, from the other side.
In fact the now 9 years old Syria conflict should never be considered as a single country issue, as much as a pole of fixation of many larger major conflicts fighting on Syrian soil.
Putin’s Russia has its own strategy in the Middle East linked to Energy (Oil and Gas), to Economy (arms sale and developing exports), to monetary independence (getting out of the US Dollar world single currency domination), to Security (Muslim Jihadists), to political influence (relations with Israel, Gulf Monarchies).
Erdogan’s Turkey has also its own neo Ottoman strategy in the Middle East as well as in the Muslim world, linked to politics (extending its sphere of influence to the South Mediterranean region and to the Levant and Arabian Peninsula), to Energy (Oil control of North Eastern Syria and Northern Iraqi Mesopotamia), to Politics (rebirth of the Caliphate ended in 1924 by Kemal Ataturk in view of politically controlling the Sunni world through Islam)
One should consequently read the Russian/Turkish relation in Syria through the strategy of each country and the need to always find an understanding over minor issues, while keeping in mind the broader picture.
The analysis "Russia and Turkey acting together in SYRIA" (by Andrew Korybko in the Oriental Review of 03.03.2020) details the present situation of each of Russia and Turkey, away from the daily sensation news of the international media. It shows once more how much the Syrian people have been the victim of world and regional powers’ strategies. It is, alas, gloomy as to the close future of the Levant region.
