I’d argue that Syria ended up working in Russian favor in the end. Russia no longer has any obligations to prop it up, but the regime in charge doesn’t appear to be keep on breaking relations with Russia. On top of that, it’s become very unstable with many different factions fighting each other. This will inevitably create problems for Turkey and Israel who are backing different factions. Volatility in the region doesn’t really benefit the west, and it’s a huge concern for Europe where refugees will inevitably flee if a regional war breaks out. Meanwhile, Armenia signed its own death warrant by pulling out of CSTO. That’s what allowed Azerbaijan to start making territorial claims.
My expectation is that we might see the end of NATO here. The rift between Europe and the US is getting wider by the day, and Americans are telling Europe in no uncertain terms that they don’t see it as their primary concern now. It’s also worth noting that the economic situation in Europe is very dire which is already creating political instability. Further austerity that would be necessitated by higher military spending will only make this worse. It’s highly likely that countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania might simply flip over to BRICS in a few years.
I’d argue that Syria ended up working in Russian favor in the end. Russia no longer has any obligations to prop it up, but the regime in charge doesn’t appear to be keep on breaking relations with Russia. On top of that, it’s become very unstable with many different factions fighting each other. This will inevitably create problems for Turkey and Israel who are backing different factions. Volatility in the region doesn’t really benefit the west, and it’s a huge concern for Europe where refugees will inevitably flee if a regional war breaks out. Meanwhile, Armenia signed its own death warrant by pulling out of CSTO. That’s what allowed Azerbaijan to start making territorial claims.
My expectation is that we might see the end of NATO here. The rift between Europe and the US is getting wider by the day, and Americans are telling Europe in no uncertain terms that they don’t see it as their primary concern now. It’s also worth noting that the economic situation in Europe is very dire which is already creating political instability. Further austerity that would be necessitated by higher military spending will only make this worse. It’s highly likely that countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania might simply flip over to BRICS in a few years.