The Means and Ends of Russian Influence Abroad. This project examines the mechanisms that Russia has devised to influence and attract countries in the 'near-abroad', Western Europe and the US.
A central consideration of the project is the notion of Russia's soft power. The conventional wisdom is that Russia has no soft power. This perception hinders our understanding of a number of important issues. Moscow pledges to block UN over foreign intervention in Syria. Russia has made clear that it will block UN support for foreign military intervention in Syria, scotching slim hopes that the massacre of more than 100 people at Houla would break the impasse in the international response to ongoing violence.
Moscow's crucial support for Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has not changed after confirmation from a UN human rights body that 108 people, including 49 children under 10, were killed in the weekend incident near Homs, mostly in summary killings by the feared Shabiha militia, linked to the Assad regime. Gennady Gatilov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said: "We have always said that we are categorically against any intervention in the Syrian conflict from the outside, as this would only worsen the situation and would lead to unpredictable consequences both for Syria itself and the region on the whole.
" №3 «Putin, Russia & the West: The War» Putin, Russia and the West: "New Start" - Rus Subs - © BBC HD 2012. Putin, Russia and the West: "Taking Control" - Rus Subs - © BBC HD 2012. Putin, Russia and the West: "Taking Control" - Rus Subs - © BBC HD 2012.