The Syrian Civil War and the Role of Russıa in the Syrian Civil War

Abstract

Throughout history, Syria has attracted the attention of great states because it has served as a gateway to the Mediterranean in the Middle East. Undoubtedly, it was of great importance because of its location. Since the Ottoman period, the Russians did not give up their policy of going to the warm seas. This situation continued after the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Especially during the cold war period, the issue of Syria came to the fore between the USA and Russia and they acted in line with their interests. It is known that when it comes to the interests of big states, they also intervene in geographies outside their own country borders. In this direction, the geography in which Syria is located has an important place in the projects of Russia and the USA. After the collapse of the USSR, during the Yeltsin period, Russia acted as a reformist and followed a policy approaching the West. The underlying reason for this can be shown as Russia's economic dependence on Europe and the USA due to the economic crisis at that time. However, with Putin's coming to power in Russia, this situation started to reverse. Putin not only developed his country economically, but also wanted to have a say in the Middle East geography. In this context, its activities such as making nuclear cooperation with Iran and recognizing Hamas in Palestine have enabled Russia to be seen as an alternative to the USA in the Middle East. It is aimed to contribute to the studies to be written on this subject with the work we will do about the Syrian civil war and Russia's influence here, which constitutes the basis of our subject.