Related to this aspect we also have Syria’s relations to its Levantine neighbourhood. These long-term strategic interests make concerted action – or an agreement on a meaningful diplomatic or operational set of moves – far more challenging. These projects are indicators of a Russian worldview which accepts military expansion as an option in seeking a counterbalance to American pre-eminence in bases across the Middle East. Russian naval projects in Aleppo and Latakia would allow Russia a massive military presence in the Mediterranean. The Russian Navy’s undertaking in 2007 to rebuild its global bases was followed early in 2010 with the initiation of a massive project to develop and modernize two Syrian ports. Russia had arms sales contracts with Libya and Syria long before the uprisings, which it has sought to honour in the midst of internal revolts. Meanwhile, the Arab Spring is proving to be a congenial medium for Russia to make a legitimate comeback as a global power to contend with. Moreover, this position of the US is worsened by their reliable British allies having to face up to the repercussions of domestic unrest.
The global balance of power is confounded today by a US in the throes of an unknown economic situation and deepening divisions. Relative to the capabilities of the United States, Russia’s military and economic recovery since the collapse of the Soviet Union has allowed it to be more assertive in its reaction to American-led Middle East strategies. At the heart of the matter is western (NATO) opacity over Russia’s global status, which has in turn incentivised the latter’s search for opportunities to affirm its right to revive its past glory. The Arab Spring has exposed an important dynamic in major power global relations that have been crystallizing since the end of the Cold War. On the one hand, we may observe the established major powers – the United States, its allies and Russia – profoundly recalibrating their global strategies and what they perceive as their interests in world politics. Sniperphoto agency/Demotix:all rights reserved But the particular inconsistency in the reactions of the Council to the ongoing Syria crisis allows us to identify and disentangle several underlying causes and to predict delay. So it may be unsurprising that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been inconsistent in its support of UN-upheld human rights and freedoms in many of these situations. The Arab Spring surprised external and domestic observers alike no one expected the magnitude of the popular uprisings, the exact nature of demands, or the direction they would take.
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