This week, David W. Lesch writes in Foreign Policy that Russia risks repeating mistakes made by the Soviet Union when it meddled in Syria in the 1950s. Also, Peter Pomerantsev writes in Politico about a digital flashmob in which liberal Russians waxed nostalgic about the transformative 1990s.
Moscow State University students celebrate on the first day of classes on September 1, 1994. Last month, liberal Russians posted photographs and memories from the 1990s on social media, an act that journalist Peter Pomerantsev says was an act of protest. Photo: ITAR-TASS
Russia Is Repeating Cold War Mistakes in Syria
David W. Lesch, Foreign Policy
Russia’s incursion into Syria could become a misadventure analogous to the 1957 intervention in Syria by Egypt, then an ally of the Soviet Union. Could the current Syria war ultimately lead to Putin’s downfall?
West Must Play It Cool With Putin
Mark Galeotti, The Moscow Times
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter recently accused Russia of being “unprofessional” in Syria, but such criticisms appear to fall on deaf ears. The U.S. should learn to take a different approach in dealing with the Russians, instead of feeling the need to respond to Russia’s trolling every time, says Galeotti.
Putin's Next Conquest
Nussaibah Younis and Andrea Taylor, Foreign Affairs
Iraq has begun cooperating more closely with Russia, but this will only be detrimental to Iraq, say Younis and Taylor. They argue that the U.S. is taking the right tack in Iraq by empowering local Sunnis, and say that Washington must continue to invest strategically in order not to lose Iraqi confidence in U.S. security assistance.
A Digitial Flashmob Dares Putin
Peter Pomerantsev, Politico Magazine
In September, liberal Russians participated in a digital flashmob on social media to protest the Kremlin’s depiction of the 1990s as a time of chaos and horror, posting nostalgically about that time of change and possibility. Pomerantsev argues that some Russians enjoy reminiscing about that period because it is impossible in Russia’s current warped reality to formulate a vision for the future.
What Russia REALLY Fears in Syria
Robert G. Rabil, The National Interest
There is no doubt that the Kremlin is concerned about the spread of radical Islamic movements into Russia. Is this fear enough to justify creating a new world order with Iran? How will Sunnis within Russia react to Putin’s support for Shia regimes?
