Syria Lurches Further Into The Dark

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad entered into a series of military agreements with Russia today. “Our position is that we are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security,” the Syrian leader told Russian newspapers at the start of his two-day trip. “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.” (source)

As highlighted on this site before, Syria is a key partner of Iran, allowing for the funding, training, and supplying of Hezbollah and Hamas, two agents of Tehran, to take place on their soil.
The recent turbulence in this region of the world could result in the disturbance of oil flow for Europe (and Turkey). If this happens, then Iranian oil becomes even more of an asset. This plays well for Russia, who’s foray into Georgia could easily result in the sabotage of the BTC oil pipeline.

In recent years, the world community, along with Israel, have levied economic pressures on Syria to break its ties with Iran. In fact, Syria has been holding indirect talks with Israel in search of a peace deal because of their suffering economy.

But now, Russia may give Syria both economic and military cover to halt these low-level talks with Israel, and galvanize their anti-Israel, anti-West alliance with the Bear and Iran.
To further deepen the chasm between Israel and Syria, the Georgian conflict of late has an Israeli component: reserve Brigadier-General Gal Hirsh, well-known for commanding a division of Israeli soldiers during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. Hirsh is serving as an advisor to the Georgians.

This small fact was used by al-Assad to assert Syrian relations with Russia: “I think that in Russia and in the world everyone is now aware of Israel’s role and its military consultants in the Georgian crisis,” he told the Russian newspaper Kommersant. “And if before in Russia there were people who thought these forces can be friendly then now I think no one thinks that way.”