Tag: Syria

R&D from Prepd: Russian Foreign Policy in Syria

By

On September 17, 2015

In R&D

[fblike]

l_2Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete!  Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.

This R&D provides resources on Russian foreign policy in Syria.  Syria has long been a client state of Vladimir Putin’s regime and Russia has a naval base at Tartus, which is its only naval facility on the Mediterranean.  Putin argues that Western intervention has made the Syrian Civil War worse, making parallels to how Western intervention in Libya destabilized that nation’s political and social order.  In recent weeks, Russia has increased support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sending more tanks, artillery, and military personnel.  The Pentagon also postulates that Russia could be building a forward air base near the port of Latakia.

Read More

Topic Brief: Syria and Iran as Agents of Change in the Middle East

By

On October 15, 2008

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

topicbriefBy Omar Qureshi

The Middle East has long been an area of major misunderstanding for the west. Whether it is the volatile nature of popular will in Iran or the legacy politics in Syria there doesn’t seem to be a clear, general regional trend. The challenge of this understanding has led to many different foreign policy approaches towards the region as a whole. Regardless of whether it has been Clinton’s “aesthetic peace policy” or the much more expansive “Bush Doctrine” of preemptive war, these policies are specifically developed for the Middle East. Moreover, these policies have embraced the 1975 idea of Pax Syriana. This term literally means “Syrian peace,” but international relations theorists have taken it to mean the attempted reshaping of the Middle East to the desires of major actors. Clinton wanted peace- or at least the appearance of peace and George W. Bush wants to develop strategic alliances backed by hard power- a move that has substantially disenfranchised the Middle East on the whole. The preeminent actors in the Middle East today are Syria and Iran.

Read More

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén