Russian-Iranian Military Cooperation in Syria: A Case Study of Proxy Warfare

Abstract

This paper discusses Russian-Iranian military cooperation in the Syrian conflict as one of the most significant cases of proxy warfare in the modern world. Coming out from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, the Syrian crisis has transformed into a complex theatre of global and regional power plays. The Russia-Iran partnership on mutual resistance to Western supremacy: Russia is trying to hold on to its strategic position in the Middle East, while Iran is striving to create a "Shiite crescent" that would balance out its Sunni competitors. It shows how proxy warfare has evolved to become a kind of war, combining state-level resources with asymmetrical tactics that shift the balance of the battlefield. The multipolar world order, as can be seen in the case of global geopolitics, reflects wider implications of such cooperation and also gives a reason for reflection regarding whether such hybrid alliances are sustainable and may serve as a model for future proxy conflicts. The two have been working to defend the Assad regime against attempts from the West to reform the region that has been thwarting American hegemony and recasting the contours of modern war.