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- Title
Russian Intervention in Syria: Exploring the Nexus between Regime Consolidation and Energy Transnationalisation.
- Authors
Maher, David; Pieper, Moritz
- Abstract
Interpretations of Russia's military intervention in Syria overwhelmingly focus on Russia's political motivations. An alternative view foregrounds Russia's economic motivations, namely, the construction of a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline traversing Iran, Iraq and Syria. This article examines the salience of Russia's economic motivations and considers two related aspects: First, if Russian intervention aims to secure areas of strategic importance for the proposed pipeline. Second, if Russian intervention realises longer term political and commercial interests that include proposed future pipeline projects. The evidence suggests Russian military policies towards Syria are unlikely to be motivated primarily by the prospect of a proposed gas pipeline, but that regime consolidation is a more immediate policy goal. This article then posits that Russian intervention has a distinct 'dual logic' aimed at integrating the interests of key regional actors into a transnational energy network, while stabilising Russia's regional dominance within this network.
- Subjects
SYRIA; RUSSIAN foreign relations, 1991-; INTERVENTION (International law); TRANSNATIONALISM; NATURAL gas pipelines; INTERNATIONAL economic relations; ENERGY policy
- Publication
Political Studies, 2021, Vol 69, Issue 4, p944
- ISSN
0032-3217
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/0032321720934637