Syria policies of Russia in terms of classic geopolitical approaches

Özet

As it is one of the most active and important actors in the Syrian conflict, understanding the position and goals of the Russian Federation in this conflict is critical for the area studies. Undoubtedly, it will not be possible to correctly understand the policies pursued in the region without understanding the view of Russia, one of the most important actors, in the region. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of these critically important policies by investigating the place of classical geopolitical approaches in the foreign policy of the Russian Federation and their impact in the Syrian conflict. In this context, classical geopolitical theories’ will be a starting point in the framework where Moscow is looking at the World from a multi-polar perspective and then to analyze how the Syrian conflict looks like from this framework. Repercussions of activities by radical organizations to the internal policies of Russia will be examined. The absence of authority arising from the Syrian war allowed radical ideologies to spread all over the World, which is also a concern for countries like Russia, which have considerable Muslim population. The fact that Syria is a part of the Middle East and a link of the Arab Spring chain has been effective in Russia's policies towards Syria. For this reason, Russia's Middle East policies in general and its relations with some actors have also been examined. As a result of the examination, it has been seen that Moscow, which has been feeling “encircled” since the USSR, is trying to break this encirclement with Syria, break its silence and demonstrate that it has taken its place as a global power within the framework of the multipolar world doctrine.