After the decline of European influence in the Syrian file during the recent period, and the Europeans settling for a limited role in northeastern Syria, indications seem that France, whose President Emmanuel Macron held his private meetings with his Russian counterpart recently, on Syria and the rest of the files of the common region between them, it seems that Paris is investing in the political crisis.
Also, the economy that has been increased by the explosion of the Beirut port on Lebanon, that investment will not remain limited within Lebanon’s geographical framework, but it will apparently expand to include the regional region, especially Syria.
The French investment stems from the Beirut crisis from the French-Russian rapprochement that has become noticeable in light of the French-Turkish differences inside and outside NATO, following Macron’s objection to the foreign policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including the arrival of Turkish influence to the regions of northeastern Syria under the name The “Peace Spring” area, which is surrounded by the international coalition forces, including French forces.
The French president, who visited Beirut twice in less than a month and threatened the political class in it, moved to Iraq to reject foreign intervention projects in it, in clear messages that on the one hand indicate a desire for a strong return to France – it does not matter if it is within the framework of the European Union or outside it -, and who On the other hand, it illustrates the severity of the deepening differences between Ankara and Paris.
The question arises about this whether Russia was able to introduce France as an influential party again in the Syrian equation, or whether this entry would be through the gateway to consensus with Russia and through the reconstruction file, while ensuring Moscow’s ability to contain the tensions between France and Turkey and to preserve the primacy of interests without any explosion of the situation takes everyone back many steps.
Despite the optimism regarding European awake, the fact is, European role in Syria won’t be able to surpass the US role,
France is no longer that superpower since the end of World War II, but rather a subordinate state to America, trying to have a role in its former colonies as America allows, therefore, it plays the role of a middleman or a middleman, not the role of the superpower whose colonies these regions were part of, and has contributed to the manufacture of these entities under the name of states.
Despite the limited European influence in the Syrian scene, in light of the lack of tools for military intervention, in return for a quadripartite intervention (American, Russian, Iranian, Turk), the matter is early, but that doesn’t mean the absence the European role at all.
There is a wide range of European political stances that contribute at a minimum through pressure on the four interfering forces in the Syrian scene, in addition to a humanitarian, cultural and financial role.
The Europeans are present in the Syrian scene, but without influencing the course of events, although they are much more affected than other powers, by hosting and resettling refugees, without being directly responsible for what is happening in Syria.
The change of the French position on several issues in the Syrian file, and its approach with the Russian vision, has become more tangible than ever before.
Paris, which had agreed in principle to Washington’s desire to send French forces to the eastern Euphrates region of Syria to fill the void for the withdrawal of US forces, may take a different path, on the approach of “NATO”.
The French vision regarding the Syrian file within its general framework became closer to Moscow, in light of the French President’s attack on “NATO”, early last November, describing him – at the time – as “living a clinical death,” explaining this for several reasons, including “the lack of state commitments United vis-à-vis the alliance, during statements he made in an interview with the British the Economist magazine.
The international common issues between the two sides are not easy, especially since Russia has direct interference in the Syrian and Iranian crises and indirectly through military sales to Iran.
France, in the person and the way of President Macron, wants to attract Russia to a path closer to mediocrity looking for the revival of Gaullism, which used to support interference in the affairs of states without entering a party to the conflict, and it is not the first time that France searches for explicit Russian support on very common issues such as the continuity of the agreement.
Nuclear despite the hardening of the US position, and the search for a new constitution for Syria with the approval of the Russians, despite the joint Russian-Syrian military decision to eliminate the last gathering of the opposition in Idlib.
French President Macron wants to play the role of the international mediator in the crisis in several issues, and the Russian President Putin, who is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his rule in Russia, knows well that he needs interlocutors at the level of Russia and France, and their president is the most appropriate.
