(New York Post) Amir Taheri - The Russian lease on the Crimean port of Sevastopol runs out in 2017 and can't be extended without Ukraine's accord. So Moscow has been seeking an alternative to Sevastapol for the last decade. Russian strategists believe they've found it on Syria's Mediterranean coast. Russia's Vladimir Putin knows that Assad is doomed. But he wants to ensure that Russia has a say in choosing his successor. Putin is looking for a new Syrian regime in which Moscow's friends, meaning elements of the Assad regime, would have a place strong enough to offer the Russian navy an outlet when, and if, Ukraine throws it out.
2011-10-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive