A Review of Russian Strategy towards the Crisis in Syria, 2011-2014

Russia as an important Trans-regional and revived power in the global scene has taken a different approach toward Syrian crisis from of Western and Arabian countries; a strategy that is based on steadfast diplomatic and military support from Assad regime. As a basic and core question, we ask why Russia has taken a strategy toward Syrian crisis different from that of Western and Arabian countries and which factors have pushed Russia to this path? The findings of this research show that the confrontation between Russia and west is in fact a conflict upon global order and the norms which can affect Russian regional and global interests in this crisis. Moreover, Russia’s political structure and Russian elites’ perceptions with regard to this crisis are considered as mediating variables which have transformed and translated systemic threats and pressures in the Syrian crisis upon Russia’s foreign policy. These have pushed Russia to take a different path from the West. Our research methodology is descriptive-analytical and we have used library and internet sources for data collection.