Be careful: Russia is back to stay in the Middle East

Friday, March 1st 2013 - 06:39 UTC

Full article 11 comments

Russia is back. President Vladimir Putin wants the world to acknowledge that Russia remains a global power. He is making his stand in Syria. The Soviet Union acquired the Tartus Naval Port in Syria in 1971 without any real purpose for it. With their ships welcomed in Algeria, Cuba or Vietnam, Tartus was too insignificant to be developed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lacked the funds to spend on the base and no reason to invest in it. Read full article

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Anglotino
Russia is still an empire and still has further to go before it isn't.

As for it remaining a Mediterranean power.... pfffft what a load of bollocks. An Alawite territory base would hardly make it a “power”.

Proof that Russia is no longer much of a world power after all.
Mar 01st, 2013 - 11:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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briton
Russia is a big country,
but nowhere as powerfull as it once was.
Mar 01st, 2013 - 11:57 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Idlehands
Putin still thinks there's a cold war going on - he seems to want to revive it. Ordinary Russians will be better off when they're rid of him. They may dream about being a world power but there simply aren't enough of them. The only card they hold is huge territory and the resources that come with that.

I kind of hope they fall out with China over something and then they can fight it out between themselves.
Mar 01st, 2013 - 01:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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nerosaxo
ABOUT TIME. RESTORE THE BALANCE OF POWER......SOME SERIOUS ASS KICKING NEEDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mar 01st, 2013 - 04:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Elena
What I don´t get is what Nato hopes to acomplish by having Bashar al-Assad out as the conflict in Syria truly has become bigger than him, even if they tried to impose their own representative in Syria, that person would be in serious danger given the crisis would still go on.
Mar 01st, 2013 - 05:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Anglotino
@4 nerosaxon
Who wants to kick Russia's arse? It is hardly important or powerful enough to warrant they much attention.

@5Elena
NATO? Huh? Did you read this article? What's NATO doing?
S. Y. R. I. A. not L. I. B. Y. A.

Sheesh.
Mar 01st, 2013 - 08:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Elena
You may be right, maybe Nato doesn´t quite cuts it : “In spite of all of the pressure from Washington and elsewhere to have him persuade Bashar Al-Assad to relinquish power”
Mar 01st, 2013 - 08:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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DennisA
The so-called Arab Spring is a farce, the Muslim Brotherwood is being installed across the region.
Mar 02nd, 2013 - 10:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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sj_ken
Well thought out and presented piece.
To understand what is going on in the middle east you have to understand what outsiders are doing and why.
As to who is really behind the uprising in Syria, it is Israel. Israel wants to destabilize all the Arab countries around it so they can not be a threat to Israel. Be careful Israel, if the Islamic Brotherhood comes to control in more countries than just Egypt, Israel might have real problems.
Mar 02nd, 2013 - 11:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Elena
9 Agreed

The situation in the middle east is already too serious, if you add Israel, Russia, US and maybe China and Nato, it can extend across regions out of the middle east.
Mar 02nd, 2013 - 07:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
@9 What a load of toffee. “As to who is really behind the uprising in Syria, it is Israel.” Total rubbish. Israel and Syria have fought four major wars. 1948, 1967, 1973 and 1982. Israel won them all. Got any evidence that Israel is behind the uprising?
Mar 03rd, 2013 - 12:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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