Source: Güvenlik Stratejileri Dergisi (Journal of Security Strategies), Vol.13, Issue 26, October 2017

Abstract: Since the “Arab Spring”, a variety of conflicts have erupted in the region and various extremist groups have emerged, especially the quasi-state “Islamic State” (IS), which has replaced the Al Qaeda to become the dominant international terrorist organization, main sponsor of large-scale terrorist attacks, propagator of extremist and terrorist ideology, and the object that many extremist terrorist organizations around the world are loyal to. The strike against the organization by the US and Russia, the two countries with strong military power and political influence, has been relatively effective. However, the US and Russia hold different views on the Syrian issue, so their measures to combat the IS have different foci. The US favors the Syrian opposition, while Russia helps the Syrian government to fight the Syrian opposition and the IS. Because of their different interests, the policies of the US and those of Russia in the Middle East also have witnessed some changes after the rise of IS, and resulted in a series of strategic games. As the two most important international powers in the world, the game between Russia and the US in Middle East has caught attention from all over the world. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the international game between the US and Russia on the fight against IS will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of the situation in the Middle East.

Key Words: United States; Obama Administration; Russia; Islamic State; Syria