Research Article

Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective

Volume: 14 Number: 27 December 10, 2020
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Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective

Abstract

This article aims to puzzle why the leading military power of the world, namely the United States, was pushed back from the negotiating table in the Syrian Civil War, and conversely, how and why the world’s declining power, namely Russia, became the sole actor in that conflict. The article will try to answer this question from the neoclassical realist perspective. In this perspective, states do not always act rationally. Instead, they can fail because of miscalculations. The United States, in this respect, miscalculated on the Syrian Civil War as well as its domestic politics. In contrast, Russia behaved in accordance with its strategic culture, which resulted in its dominance both in the field and in diplomacy. The systemic stimulus, which is the independent variable, forces both countries to form alliances in the civil war. The domestic actors of both countries, which are the intervening variables, diversified the systemic stimuli in opposite directions. While the US political elite was misguided due to the divided structure, the Russian elite was more unified, which resulted in outcomes in favor of the latter.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 10, 2020

Submission Date

May 31, 2020

Acceptance Date

October 12, 2020

Published in Issue

Year 2020 Volume: 14 Number: 27

APA
Şen, O., & Şahin, M. (2020). Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective. Gazi Akademik Bakış, 14(27), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.839015
AMA
1.Şen O, Şahin M. Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2020;14(27):243-260. doi:10.19060/gav.839015
Chicago
Şen, Osman, and Mehmet Şahin. 2020. “Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective”. Gazi Akademik Bakış 14 (27): 243-60. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.839015.
EndNote
Şen O, Şahin M (December 1, 2020) Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective. Gazi Akademik Bakış 14 27 243–260.
IEEE
[1]O. Şen and M. Şahin, “Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective”, Gazi Akademik Bakış, vol. 14, no. 27, pp. 243–260, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.19060/gav.839015.
ISNAD
Şen, Osman - Şahin, Mehmet. “Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective”. Gazi Akademik Bakış 14/27 (December 1, 2020): 243-260. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.839015.
JAMA
1.Şen O, Şahin M. Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2020;14:243–260.
MLA
Şen, Osman, and Mehmet Şahin. “Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective”. Gazi Akademik Bakış, vol. 14, no. 27, Dec. 2020, pp. 243-60, doi:10.19060/gav.839015.
Vancouver
1.Osman Şen, Mehmet Şahin. Miscalculation in Proxy War: The United States and Russia in Syrian Civil War from the Neoclassical Realist Perspective. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2020 Dec. 1;14(27):243-60. doi:10.19060/gav.839015

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