RETHINKING RUSSIAN MISSION IN SYRIA
Since the collapse of the USSR, Syria has remained to be center of Russian Middle East foreign policy regarding its economic and political ties. As a result of the Arab Spring, the Syrian regime and President Assad has shaken with the unrestrained uprisings and western sanctions and eventually crisis turned into a fierce civil war. From the inauguration of the crisis Russia has never altered its political view on Syria even though there were expectations to the contrary. Moscow officially remained calling for “No military intervention against Syria” and that’s why three times vetoed US resolutions concerning widening sanctions or allowing multilateral military operations. However, Russia claims that Moscow is not protective of Syrian regime or Assad instead prevents Syria to fall into a long-term civil war. On the other hand, Syria is one of the most crucial arms importer of Russia and hosting Russian naval base on its Mediterranean coast. In this paper it is aimed to analyze the Russian stable and consistent foreign policy on Syria and its reasons as well as latest Russian and US rising tensions.
The Syrian Conflict and Russia’s Search for Regional Hegemony in a Contested Middle East: Implications for the Euro-Atlantic Community. EU Diplomacy Paper 10/2017
The Syrian conflict, a civil war with sectarian patterns driven by endogenous and 
exogenous dynamics, has turned into a proxy war catalysing the major geopolitical 
tensions of today’s contested world order. The conflict represents a major challenge 
for the Euro-Atlantic community as it reflects Russia’s reassertion as a counter-power 
to the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) in the Middle East. Taking a 
structural realist approach, the Syrian conflict can be interpreted as a confrontation 
for regional hegemony. This paper explores the implications of Russia’s reassertion for 
the Euro-Atlantic community’s approaches to Syria and the Middle East as well as for 
transatlantic relations. It argues that in the power vacuum created by the Arab Spring, 
Russia’s engagement in Syria has highlighted the limits of American and European 
approaches to the region. Moreover, Russia’s reassertion as a regional hegemon 
challenges the Euro-Atlantic cohesion and is likely to lead to a ‘forced emancipation’ 
of the EU from the US as a strategic foreign policy actor.
A History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Preface to the Second Edition Preface A Note on Transliteration Part I. Jews and Arabs Before the Conflict: The Congruent Origins of Modern Zionism and Arab Nationalism 1. Jewish History and the Emergence of Modern Political Zionism 2. Arab History and the Origins of Nationalism in the Arab World Part II. Emergence and History of the Conflict to 1948 3. The Conflict Takes Shape 4. The Dual Society in Mandatory Palestine Part III. Routinization of the Conflict, 1948-1967 5. The Palestinian Disaster and Basic Issues after 1948 6. Israel and the Arab States through June 1967 Part IV. The Palestinian Dimension Reemerges: From the June War through Camp David 7. Postwar Diplomacy and the Rise of the Palestine Resistance Movement 8. Israel, the Palestinians, and the Occupied Territories in the 1970s Part V. The High Price of Stalemate and Futile Diplomacy in the 1980s 9. Violent Confrontations in the Early 1980s 10. Futile Diplomacy in the Mid-1980s Part VI. Efforts to Break the Stalemate: From the Intifada through the Oslo Peace Process 11. The Intifada and Beyond 12. The Oslo Peace Process Epilogue: The Post-Oslo Period