ASSESSMENTS

Russia Looks for an Exit in Syria

Jan 4, 2017 | 09:54 GMT

Russia Looks for an Exit in Syria
Russian troops and their loyalist allies had secured the Syrian city of Palmyra before the Islamic State won the city back with an attack in early December, a reminder of the dangers to Russia of a prolonged involvement in the country's civil war.

(VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

With their capture of Aleppo in late December, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad secured their biggest victory in the country's nearly six-year civil war. It is now clear that al Assad has weathered the critical threat to his administration's rule over key parts of the country. Military, diplomatic and financial support from Iran and Russia has played a tremendous role in the loyalist victory. But despite their shared cause in Syria and the considerable resources that each government has invested in the war, Moscow and Tehran do not see eye to eye on several issues related to the conflict. The two countries differ most notably in their commitment to the loyalist cause. Though Russia has already demonstrated its pledge to sustain and support loyalist forces in Syria, Moscow's commitment in the conflict simply does not rise to the level of Tehran's. Through its intervention in Syria, Russia...

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