General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOK. Maybe I haven't been paying sufficient attention, but WHY does Russia support Syria and Assad?
They supply Syria with arms, right?
Is it to piss us off?
Or what?
I know, I should have been paying more attention. Well, now I am.
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)Russia has a Mediterranean naval base in Syria?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Syria_relations
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,726 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,924 posts)I believe Putin aka Russia sees an oppressive dictator as 'better than' a steeped in religion Muslim government . . . Religion being the opium of the people and whatnot.
Though- I'm probably going to get into a lot of trouble for typing that in regards to Islam. At DU - only Christianity (I'm not one) is fair game for pointing out mindless following of myths and fairy tales.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)I'm not vouching for any of the results, but I think that fossil fuels has got to be a part of what's going on there.
JustAnotherGen
(31,924 posts)Only ally in the Middle East I think. But of note . . . Syria is not Russia's largest (nowhere near that) customer for arms.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,726 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)Russia is just like all other industrialized nations in that regard...oil has value and so does the nation that has it.
Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)FarCenter
(19,429 posts)PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)A warm water port as well.
JI7
(89,276 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,753 posts)This might help.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%27s_role_in_the_Syrian_civil_war
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,726 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,753 posts)The history it messy. Too many foreign interests having at it, as was true throughout the Middle East. Hassan II was the king of Morocco back when I was there in the late 1970s.
Response to CaliforniaPeggy (Original post)
mother earth This message was self-deleted by its author.
cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)Russia supports any middle-east unrest that keeps a risk-premium in global energy prices.
Same reason they support Iran's nuke program despite not really wanting Iran to be nuclear
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)Russia in 1956. In 1972 Russia built a naval base there. It is pouring money into that base now to refurbish the whole thing. Russia exports $1.1B to Syria annually. Russia's investments in Syria in2009 were estimated at about $20B. There are many joint ventures involving oil and gas pipelines.
China is also an ally of Syria.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Syria_relations
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Syria_relations
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%27s_role_in_the_Syrian_conflict
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,726 posts)Obviously this is a multi-part, complex and layered question.
I appreciate everyone's pitching in to help me understand.