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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia's Nightmare and the Danger of Abandoning Assad
2012-07-23
By Walter Russell Mead
A taste:
Russia has long struggled with Islamic (and other) terrorists in the Caucasus. President Vladimir Putin promised to eradicate terror networks and separatists movements as he rose to power in 1999 and 2000, and ever since then he's been ruthless in targeting enemies of the state. The days of hostage crises and apartment block bombings are gone, but danger, still lurking in the mountains of the Caucasus, is expanding to other parts of Russia too.

Part of Putin's support for Assad comes from fear that if religious extremists win in Syria, or if chaos allows them to develop bases and networks, fighters, money and other things will start moving through the mountainous regions into Russia itself. The "Sunni surge" sweeping the Middle East threatens Russia through the Caucasus and through Central Asia.
Posted by:trailing wife

#12  nnaaahhhhh. I'm sure Iran will make good on that debt. Right?
Posted by: Frank G   2012-07-23 20:38  

#11  "Morely likely Putin's is afraid that if Assad falls, Syria will not pay the Russian debt."

Doncha' just hate it when a cash-paying customer goes bankrupt - or their corrupt regime just collapses? Sheeesh ... it's hard to find stable third world dictatorships these days.
Posted by: Raider   2012-07-23 20:28  

#10  Also Chechnyan rebels are Sunnis and supported by Saudi Arabia, Iran's mortal enemy.
Posted by: European Conservative   2012-07-23 17:27  

#9  The overwhelming majority of Muslims in Russia is Sunni. Here you go.
Posted by: European Conservative   2012-07-23 17:25  

#8  are the ---> are like the
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2012-07-23 15:20  

#7  Maybe they will have an epiphany one day and realize that Iranian Shites are also a threat

A case of being too smart for their own good. They believe that MM are the Soviet leadership---nationalists masquerading as ideologists.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2012-07-23 15:02  

#6  Russians do consider Sunni Islam a threat---that's why they support Iran.

Maybe they will have an epiphany one day and realize that Iranian Shites are also a threat.
Posted by: JohnQC   2012-07-23 14:32  

#5  Maybe Russia has picked up on our cynical old strategy of keeping the various Muslim factions in balance militarily, and pre-occupied with killing each other.
Posted by: Glenmore   2012-07-23 12:12  

#4  Morely likely Putin's is afraid that if Assad falls, Syria will not pay the Russian debt.

Posted by: bernardz   2012-07-23 07:16  

#3  The Russian plan, plain snd simple.
Posted by: Dale   2012-07-23 06:51  

#2  Russians do consider Sunni Islam a threat---that's why they support Iran.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2012-07-23 03:19  

#1  This is hard to believe. The Russians have long considered Syria to be a good customer for Russian armaments.

The stuff about Syria being a bulwark against Sunni revivalism seems goofy
Posted by: lord garth   2012-07-23 01:14  

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