Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and US counterpart Barack Obama.
After Russia launched an airstrike campaign targeting Islamic State (IS) rebels in Syria, where the US also launched a bombing campaign a year earlier, analysts at Chatham House, an organization
Russia’s priority
Since World War II, this is the first time modern Russia has intervened militarily far from its territory.
According to expert James Nixey, in charge of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russia’s purpose for the above moves may be to  achieve recognition and respect.
In the conflict in Syria, Mr. Nixey said that Russia’s specific intention is to lead the country to `glory`, being the vanguard in an international coalition against IS rebels;
Russian fighter jets return to Latakia base after air strikes against IS.
America’s goal
Meanwhile, experts from this independent consulting organization assess that the biggest concern of the US and the West in Syria is also their own security.
On Syrian soil, this concern means prioritizing the destruction of IS and other terrorist groups acting against the West.
America’s other goal in Syria, according to Xenia Wicket of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy, is to build a country that they consider `democratic` in the long term.
Ms. Wicket said that the United States and Western countries care about the lives of the Syrian people, but this concern is nothing when placed next to selfish interests, or at least domestic political calculations of the Syrian people.
US fighter jets participate in the air campaign against IS rebels.
Solution
The priorities of Russia and the US in Syria in particular and in the Middle East region in general are different, making it difficult for the situation in Syria to improve in the near future, according to the above experts.
The parties can reach a mutually beneficial solution to this crisis if they achieve the main goal of bringing peace to Syria by creating a new coalition government, including government representatives.
This is a favorable time for Russia to pressure Mr. Assad to sit at the negotiating table to find a political solution for Syria, before events occur that could push Russia deeper into the conflict.
If Russia and the United States can reach an agreement on the formation of a new coalition government in Syria, it will be a major blow to the weakened IS rebels, repel international terrorism and reduce the flow of people.
Currently, neither Russia nor the US has chosen to follow this path, and are still pursuing their own goals in the geopolitical competition in Syria.
