Russia\u27s resurgence in Syria: A new cold war

After the end of the first Cold War, scholars agreed that the United States became the dominant power in the Middle East. US hegemony created a certain degree of regional stability; titled by some as the “Pax Americana”. However, that stability has ended after the uprisings referred to as the Arab spring. This has been particularly evident since the beginning of Syrian civil war. The US has tried to influence events in Syria but has failed. In contrast, Russia has been actively intervening since the beginning of Syrian civil war; first diplomatically and then military. In this paper I argue that Russia’s intervention reflects the decline of US power in the region. Russia is using the Syrian civil war as an opportunity to regain its influence in the Middle East and to contain US impact. I will demonstrate this by comparing and analyzing Russian and US interventions in Syria between 2011 and 2015