Al-Mustaqbal, Iraq, Originally Posted in Arabic on October 22
Bashar al-Assad’s recent visit to Moscow surprised most observers. It was the president’s first visit outside Syria since the revolt against his regime erupted over four years ago, and it came just three weeks after the first Russian forces were deployed in the country.
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Despite Moscow’s military assistance, as well as the aid of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Assad has still not succeeded in taking over the rebels’ strongholds. His visit to Moscow last week is particularly interesting, as it may very well signal the Syrian administration’s preparedness to reach a political solution to the ongoing war, as opposed to a military one.
It might also be an attempt of the Kremlin to explain exactly where it is headed on the Syrian issue, and how it would like to resolve this crisis. Even the European and Turkish positions seemed to have shifted in favor of Assad in recent weeks, expressing their consent to see him stay in power.
The challenge now will be to get the opposition forces to sit down with Russia’s representatives and find a solution to the situation. Russia’s military involvement carries many dangers, but it also presents some prospects for an up and coming solution to the crisis. – Raba Kabara