Today's meeting between Syrian and Russian presidents Bashar al-Asad and Dmitri Medvedev in the Black Sea port of Sochi have some fearing that the old battle-lines of the cold war era are once again reemerging in the Middle East.
Al-Jazeera's coverage touched upon the most potentially sensitive aspect of any reinvigorated partnership; the prospect of Russian ballistic missiles being sent to Syria. According to Al-Jazeera, Russian news coverage alleged that al-Asad had welcomed the idea of Russian Iskander missile systems being deployed to Syria while Israeli media sources indicated that Russia plans to deploy the missile systems in the Baltic and in Syria to counter America's missile shield in Central Europe and in response to Israeli-American military aid to Georgia.
Despite these claims, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was cited by Al-Jazeera as stating that any weapons deals with Syria would be on the condition that they would not disturb the ‘balance of power’ in the region.
Although Syria's own SANA News Agency did not explicitly mention the missile issue, it did state that the two countries discussed means to bring about peace in the region, leading one to assume that this would include strategic issues, such as the deployment of ballistic missiles, and how they may be just one aspect of an overall policy by Russia to embolden its friends in the region against US-Israeli strategic dominance. Interestingly, part of SANA's coverage of the meeting also highlights al-Asad's outspoken support for Russia's actions, in which he states that Syria denounces attempts by many to distort Russia's image in light of developments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
While it's debatable at this point to what extent the Russian-Syrian ‘partnership’ will develop in military terms, the circumstances surrounding al-Asad and Medvedev's meeting remind us that the bi-polar power balance between superpowers may once again leave its mark on the Middle East.
