Cliff Kupchan on Russia in Syria
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 22 April 2016
⏱️ 45 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
This week on the podcast, Benjamin Wittes and Cliff Kupchan talk about the future of U.S-Russia relations and to delve into the Russian intervention in Syria. Kupchan is the Chairman and Practice Head for Eurasia at the Eurasia Group, where he covers Russia’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as its energy sector. He argues that the United States has good reason to talk to and work with Russia on a host of crises, including Syria. While he calls Russia a “revisionist power without a vision,” he also warns that the United States would be foolish to dismiss the country’s concerns out of hand. Instead, American officials should strive to work with Moscow in Syria, where he argues that the national interest requires it, as an anti-Russian obstructionism will benefit neither the United States nor the international community.Â
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| 0:00.0 | The following podcast contains advertising. |
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| 0:08.0 | become a material supporter of LawFair at patreon.com slash law fair. |
| 0:14.0 | That's patreon.com slash law fair. |
| 0:18.0 | Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings, |
| 0:22.0 | rational security, chatter, law fair no bull, and the aftermath. |
| 0:29.0 | I would assert that Russia was among the most creative, |
| 0:37.0 | if not the most creative player among the P5 plus run in the Iran talks. |
| 0:41.0 | I don't think there'd be an Iran rating today if it wasn't for Putin. |
| 0:45.0 | Why? Because there was a strong non-properation streak |
| 0:51.0 | in the way that Putin and his elite think about the world. |
| 0:55.0 | In that case, there was a vision. |
| 0:57.0 | They just didn't trust the Iranians, believe it or not. |
| 1:01.0 | And they want trade ties and sell nuclear actors and all that stuff. |
| 1:03.0 | But it wasn't just greed at all. Syria. |
| 1:07.0 | Putin's got a strategy in Syria. He's got some strategy, |
| 1:13.0 | which is that the worst alternative, except for any other, is Assad. |
| 1:19.0 | Well, you know, it's kind of messy, sloppy. |
| 1:21.0 | But, you know, I've got my ears open for years now for a better US idea. |
| 1:25.0 | Somebody could tell me what US policy is. |
| 1:27.0 | I think what we're missing is that he may have, you know, |
| 1:31.0 | the worst option, except for any other. |
... |
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