THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE RUSSIAN, IRANIAN AND TURKISH lNVOLVEMENT IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

Abstract

The Arab revolts that began in 2011 led to a major transformation in the contemporary history of the Middle East and ushered in a new pattern of power vying by international and regional powers for influence in the Middle East (ME). The West and Turkey supported the rebels while Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hizbullah backed the Syrian regime. The turning point occurred in 2015, when Russia intervened militarily with the aim of returning to the global stage as a major geopolitical power. Russia's direct involvement in Syria changed the geopolitical alignment in the region. This article examines the geopolitics of the Syrian conflict by focusing on the national interests of Russia, Turkey and Iran. The political agendas of the three countries in the different stages of the conflict diverged and converged due to the complexity of the conflict and the policies of other external actors in Syria. This article also refers to the internationally sponsored Geneva peace talks, and to the parallel Astana peace track that was sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran , and the strategies used by them to achieve their geostrategic and geo-economic goals.