OPINION:
One of the legacies of Barack Obama’s presidency will be the Russian reemergence as the dominant player in the Middle East.
This hegemony has been cemented today with a deal for Russian basing rights in Syria. A long-term lease has been put in place by the Kremlin and Assad for a 49 year lease for both the naval port at Tartus and the air base at Hmeymim.
Syria has therefore become an official Russian satellite on the Mediterranean, as if it wasn’t already.
The leases have an automatic renewal feature for 25 year increments if neither side presents objections one year in advance, reported Russian State News Agency TASS.
The agreements signed also provide for diplomatic immunity for Russian personnel and for Russian control over the territory, in addition to rights to resupply the outposts over Syrian territory.
This is the kind of agreement that President Obama failed to put in place for American forces in Iraq, instigating a massive power vacuum that facilitated the rise of the Islamic State.
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