Assad comeback epitomizes Gulf states' world power ambitions
Visits to Oman and the UAE in recent weeks mark another step in the Syrian president's rehabilitation within the region, and the weakening of Western influence.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received red carpet treatment on his second official visit to Abu Dhabi on March 19, a week after he had visited Oman, showing that his isolation on the Arab stage may come to an end. Though the process began with humanitarian aid after the devastating February earthquakes that struck the northwest region, the Assad case is but a symptom of much deeper change in the Middle East.
The Western agenda, which gave the resilient Syrian leader pariah status because of accusations of genocide against his own people, is being put on the back burner with the major power reshuffle in the region, brought about by the disalignment of traditional Western allies, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Russia's backing of the Damascus regime allowed Putin to reclaim superpower status in 2013 when he saved Assad from Western annihilation. Now it has reinforced its Middle East alliance thanks to OPEC+, where Moscow's solidarity with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to keep oil prices high now balances the pro-NATO stance of the Gulf Cooperation Council at large.
And the Chinese-brokered Iran-Saudi agreement provides security guarantees to the kingdom that Riyadh did not think it could get from the West. Beijing's Belt and Road initiative will keep Iran’s nose just above the water. The Islamic Republic and its Houthi surrogates won’t launch their Shahed missiles on Saudi territory anymore without China turning a blind eye.
