In this week’s media highlights, Leonid Bershidsky writes in Bloomberg View about Putin’s motives in the Syria conflict, arguing that he wants to prove to the West he was right to support the Assad regime. Also, Leon Aron writes in The Washington Post about the possibility of a “Russian-wide jihad” due to the rise of radical Islam outside the North Caucasus.
ISIS militants in Raqqa, Syria, posing for a propaganda photo released on November 19, 2015. Photo: Dabiq/Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire.
Putin Wants Victory, Not Detente
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg View
Following the terror attacks in Paris, some politicians and analysts in the West have called on their countries to partner with Russia in the fight against Islamic State. Bershidsky argues that the West should not mistake Putin’s offer of partnership against ISIS for a desire to achieve a political detente. His true goal is to defeat the terrorist group and to be recognized for the triumph.
We Can Crush ISIS Without Any Help from Putin
Roger Boyes, The Times
Boyes argues that the West does not need Russian military support to defeat ISIS. A successful Western campaign would require putting boots on the ground, however, and mustering up the will and confidence to commit to a complex war.
A Grand Bargain with Putin Against ISIS?
Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post
Kuttner says the idea of the West joining a coalition with Russia to combat the Islamic State may not be “pretty,” but may be necessary to solve a crisis in which there are very few good options.
Russia Cooks Its Defense Books
Paul R. Gregory, Politico Magazine
The Russian government has underreported how much it will officially spend on the military in 2016. Disclosing classified figures from the defense budget is against Russian law, meaning that one can only speculate about the exact numbers. Gregory raises the possibility that Russia is concealing its expenditure figures in order to keep NATO members from expanding their armies.
Russia Is a New Front for Militant Islam
Leon Aron, The Washington Post
The North Caucasus has long been considered the most dangerous hotbed of militant Islam in Russia. But Aron says that Muslim radicalism has now spread to central Russia, the home of ethnic Tatars and Bashkirs, as well as to migrant populations from Central Asia. If Russia’s security services do not adapt to the new threats, Aron fears a “Russian-wide jihad.”
From Russia with Schadenfreude
Julia Ioffe, Foreign Policy
Many Russians have compared the recent terror attacks in Paris to the 2002 hostage crisis at Moscow’s Dubrovka Theatre. Some have even said France deserved the tragedy as “punishment” for an excess of tolerance. Ioffe argues that the Dubrovka crisis and the Paris attacks differed in the way in which the two governments treated their citizens during the hostage situations.
