How American Withdrawal from MENA Opened the Door for Russia in Syria & Libya

• In Event: Poster Session: Middle East and North African Politics & Posters on Europe
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Middle East and North African Politics

Abstract

The breakout of the Arab Spring in 2011 brought about unprecedented changes to the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). These changes were not solely political; in terms of overthrowing old regimes and establishing new ones. They also created the climate for radical changes in big powers' presence in the region. Since the end of the Cold War, the US has been the dominant power in the region security and military wise. However, with the escalation of the revolution in Syria, the US began to follow a policy of withdrawal that was first noticed with the Obama administration. Years on, this policy of no policy continued with the Trump administration. Similarly, in Libya, the only Western military intervention against the Gaddafi regime was a European-led one – with the US having little interest in taking part in any process. This American unwillingness to play its “traditional” security role in the MENA opened the door for Russia, as a big international power, to fill in the American gap and gain foothold; both directly and through proxies. This paper examines the reasons behind the American withdrawal from playing said role after 2011, along with the reasons, timeline, and manifestations of Russian intervention as an expansionist military force in the region.

Author

• Ayoub AlBahri