Russia’s Permanent Military Presence in Syrian Tartus Port for the Coming 49 Years: Increasing Maritime Security Challenges In the Region

Abstract

Relations between states are always the result of
permanent interests as there can never be permanent friends
or foes in international relations. The changing geopolitical
dynamics have engaged all the states in a struggle to
maintain dominance across the world. Consequently,
Russia’s leasing of the Syrian Tartus port for the coming 49
years is directional towards the same geopolitical interest of
making the state resurge. Nevertheless, this decision will have
multiple implications for the region's maritime security.
Permanent military presence of Russia on the Tartus port,
close to the Mediterranean and black sea makes it a
geopolitical hotspot for the major powers great game. Not
only this, the region has become home to numerous nontraditional security threats in the maritime domain including
drug trafficking, piracy, illicit trade, marine terrorism, etc.
Therefore, this research paper aims to highlight how Russia’s
presence in the Syrian Tartus port will shift the regional
dynamics. It endeavors to analyze the amassed maritime
security challenges in the region by reconnoitering the tug of
war between the US and Russia and the non-traditional
threats that have made it a point of contention between states
across the region.