With its recent intervention in Syria, many claim that Russia scored yet another geopolitical coup. With the war in Ukraine stalling and Crimea firmly in Russian hands, President Vladimir Putin surprised friend and foe alike with Moscow’s first military intervention outside the former Soviet space in decades. This show of force in two theatres is not only meant to demonstrate that Russia is back on the world stage, but also that it can put other powers on the back foot if it so desires.
Thus, President Putin is often praised for his tactical nous, but whether in the long run his ventures will also pay off from a strategic point of view looks decidedly less certain say Sijbren de Jong, Karlijn Jans and Willem Oosterveld in an article for European Geostrategy.
A Polish language version of the article appeared on News website Biznes Alert. The full article can be read here.
Photo credit: Brandt Luke Zorn