Protraction of Syrian Conflict: Interrogating Russian's Veto on Peace Resolutions of UN Security Council Members

Literature on Syria’s conflict are a washed with efforts of different parties, countries and organisations towards solving the crisis. This paper interrogates Russia’s military intervention in the conflict as well as the connection between its refusals to co-operate with the Western members of the UN Security Council in enacting peace resolutions and protraction of the conflict. Relying on the rational choice theory, the study analyzes the relationship between Russia’s behaviour in the Syrian conflict and its economic interests. It discovers that Russia’s failure to co-operate with the Western members of the UNSC to reach consensual peace resolutions on ending the conflict was tied to economic interests. The study recommends that the West and Russia is required to intensify negotiation and co-operation that will ensure mutual preservation of Syria, Russia and the West economic and strategic interest in the country