Russia’s permanent military presence in the 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 because in international relation there can never be permanent friends. Today, the changing geopolitical dynamics have made all the states engage in a struggle to maintain dominance across the world. Consequently, Russia’s leasing the Tartus port from Syria for the coming 49 years is directional towards the same geopolitical interest of making Russia resurge. Nevertheless, this decision is going to have multiple implications for the maritime security of the region as Russia’s permanent military presence on the Tartus port close to Mediterranean and black sea will make it a geopolitical hotspot for the major power great game. Alongside, the region has become home to numerous non-traditional security threats in the maritime domain including drug trafficking, piracy, illicit trade, marine terrorism, etc. Therefore, this research paper is an attempt to highlight how Russia’s presence in the Tartus port located in Syria is going to shift the regional dynamics. It endeavors to analyze the amassed maritime security challenges in the region by particular 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.