Al-Sharaa told the story about the Russian initiative then to defuse the conflict after Hafez fell ill and Rifaat’s tanks took control of some parts of Damascus. Moscow sent its deputy Heydar Aliyev to meet Rifaat to know what was going on. The Russian intervention at that time was welcomed by Hafez who later appointed his brother Rifaat as his vice president but reduced his powers. Al-Sharaa continues by saying that Hafez wanted to find an honorable exit to his brother but it was in fact an attempt to get rid of him after he became an ambitious rival who is looking for a chance to leap into power.
France refused to receive Rifaat first. Hafez turned to the Russians who welcomed Rifaat without hesitation. Rifaat left some loyal men in Damascus though he traveled with Moscow accompanied by more than 70 other officers who stayed with him in Moscow for some time. Rifaat could make use of his brother’s illness at that time and take control of Damascus but he didn’t. When his brother ordered him to travel abroad he complied. So, the question that one may ask here is if Russia was able to contain that old dispute by receiving Rifaat why then today Russia can’t do such a mission?
Through this historical review we can notice the difference between Assad the father and his son. We can also find out the difference between Russia in the past and Russia now.
Russians could play a positive role in the 1980s when they prevented an imminent confrontation between two ruthless power-hungry brothers. So, why then Russia can’t deal properly with the one who caused one of the greatest human tragedies in human history?
The Russians know that keeping Assad in power after all this killing and destruction is nearly impossible. If they had intervened properly from the first beginning, they would have saved many lives and prevented all these crises. The Russians will certainly discover that Assad can longer be in control and there is no power that can fix him in his place.
Abdulrahman al-Rashid in Asharq Al-Awast
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