Dr Christopher Phillips is quoted in an article by The Spectator about Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war. Dr Phillips, who has written a book about international rivalry in Syria, says Putin has tied Russia’s prestige to Assad’s survival. “The basic geopolitical point is that Assad is an ally and they don’t want to lose him, certainly not to a pro-western force.” Syria was “an opportunity to parade Russia as an alternative to western power in the Levant, if not the wider Middle East. Putin has shown the West what direct intervention can achieve.”More »