{"id":8379,"date":"2019-10-16T04:40:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T11:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=8379"},"modified":"2019-10-16T04:47:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T11:47:19","slug":"in-syria-russia-is-pleased-to-fill-an-american-void","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=8379","title":{"rendered":"“In Syria, Russia Is Pleased to Fill an American Void”, The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ben Hubbard<\/span>, Anton Troianovski<\/span>, Carlotta Gall<\/span> and Patrick Kingsley, Oct.16, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

As the United States withdraws from Syria, Russia is stepping in, running patrols to separate warring factions, striking deals and helping President Bashar al-Assad advance.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

DOHUK, Iraq \u2014 Russia asserted itself in a long-contested part of Syria on Tuesday after the United States pulled out, giving Moscow a new opportunity to press for Syrian army gains and project itself as a rising power broker in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Russian and Syrian troops drove through a key town where the United States had held sway\u00a0and picked over abandoned American outposts to announce their presence in the area and deter the Turkish incursion that began last week.<\/p>\n

The Russian advance, enabled by President Trump\u2019s decision last week to withdraw, may boost Russia\u2019s Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad, while blunting the Turkish incursion. It was a telling demonstration of how influence over the eight-year-old conflict in Syria has shifted from the United States to Russia. But in this case, there appeared to be little balance left in the Americans\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at how they were preparing the base,\u201d a Russian-speaking reporter said in a video shot inside an abandoned American outpost<\/a> in northeastern Syria, its water tanks, communication towers, tents and fridges full of soda all left behind. \u201cThey thought they were going to be here for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abrupt order by Mr. Trump to remove United States military personnel from the area set off days of violence that sent more than 150,000 civilians fleeing, shattered the American partnership with Syria\u2019s Kurds, raised fears about an Islamic State revival and allowed Mr. Assad\u2019s troops, backed by their Russian allies, to sweep up new territory without a fight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n