Hot off the Arab press 478210

RUSSIA'S INFLUENCE IN THE MIDEAST Asharq al-Awsat, London, January 5 When President-elect Donald Trump coined his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” perhaps he was not that wrong. America's Middle East foreign policy has been an absolute failure under President Barack Obama's leadership, and the United States has never looked so weak in the eyes of the people of this region. This decline in American power paved the way for Russia to reenter the Middle East. But Moscow is interested in more than just filling the vacuum created by America: its eyes are set on becoming a powerful and decisive player in the region for decades to come. This was evident, for example, in the Kremlin's decision not to simply protect Assad at the UN Security Council, by using its veto power, but to also intervene militarily and assist his forces on the ground. Another example is Moscow's willingness to host Palestinian factions from Hamas and Fatah for reconciliation talks and broker a national unity agreement under its auspices. On the Turkish front, Moscow is considering ways to bring Ankara closer to its guardianship and away from its NATO allies. Everywhere we look in the region, Russia has extended its hand for new partnerships, collaborations and allies. The only advantage still enjoyed by the United States in the Middle East is the fact that Assad seems determined to violate almost any cease-fire agreement he signs, including the one set by his Russian allies. Just like him, the regime in Tehran is determined to thwart any diplomatic settlement to the ongoing conflict in Syria. When the only thing protecting America in the Middle East is the foolishness of its very enemies, one realizes the severity of America's foreign policy. – Muhammad Zahid Jawal A TIPPING POINT FOR A SOLUTION IN SYRIA? Al-Youm al-Sabe, Egypt, January 1 The battle over Aleppo ended a few weeks ago, with the Syrian opposition agreeing to withdraw from the city, following a long siege imposed on its residents. There is no doubt that, besides the symbolic victory over the rebels, this battle marks an important development for Bashar Assad: the Syrian opposition has finally incurred a significant loss and is willing to return to the negotiation table. What is absolutely mind-boggling is that while all of this was happening, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to arm Syrian rebels with advanced weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles, in order to assist them in their fight against the Syrian regime. While one hand attempts to reach a cease-fire, the other arms the militants, prolongs the war and exacerbates the situation on the ground. The United States could have assisted the rebels throughout the last couple of months of intense fighting. Instead, it does so now, after these opposition forces sustained a loss and agreed to compromise with Assad. Neither side in this conflict is free of guilt, and both the rebels and Assad have a fair share of blood on their hands. But why obstruct the first attempt in months to finally reach a cease-fire? – Samih Saeb WILL 2017 BE BETTER FOR SYRIA? Al-Araby al-Jadeed, London, January 3 The year 2016 was one of the worst years for the Syrian people. It was a year marked by gross violations of human rights at the hands of the Syrian regime: systematic killing of innocents, deprivation and torture of civilians, and collective punishments to entire populations. Bashar Assad's forces, alongside Iranian militias and rogue Syrian killing gangs, spread terror and wreaked havoc across the country, in yet another bloody year of fighting. However, 2016 has also seen an interesting – and perhaps positive – development for the Syrian people: the potential signing of a cease-fire agreement between the regime and the opposition forces. Just several days ago, Russia and Turkey seized a unique opportunity and brokered a cease-fire in Syria. If this cease-fire lasts, negotiations between the parties will commence in the Kazakhstani capital, Astana, and continue in Geneva in upcoming months. For now, it is too early to determine what the outcome of this effort might be. Surely, a permanent cease-fire agreement will benefit not only the people of Syria but Turkish and Russian diplomacy as well. It will mark a new era in the Middle East and bring the millions of Syrian civilians, currently caught in the cross fire, some much-desired relief. If it fails, however – as such efforts have in the past – this agreement will join a long list of failed diplomatic attempts to end the Syrian civil war. Still, considering the strained relationship between Turkey and Russia in the recent year, which saw the downing of a Russian jet in Turkish airspace and the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, this moment is an important one for the Middle East. The two countries will have to work closely with representatives of the Syrian regime and the Syrian opposition to broker a durable resolution to the war. They will face many challenges and hurdles. But for now, they have succeeded in achieving something that just a few weeks ago seemed, to almost everyone around the world, simply impossible. – Amr Kush http://www.themedialine.org/

Hot off the Arab press 478210

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