Russia finds navigating new development tricky in Syria
Syria is slowly being seen less as a military liability and more as an investment opportunity, though there are still many potential challenges.
![MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA A construction crane is seen as smoke rises from Yarmouk Palestinian camp in Damascus, Syria April 21, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho - RC16C2D4AC60](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2018/06/RTX5UP5N.jpg/RTX5UP5N.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=ewFM73c-)
Until recently, the system of checks and balances that foreign stakeholders sought to build in Syria relied primarily on military means, but now there is a more pronounced leaning toward economic methods, especially by Russia.
For example, a new bridge connects Russia’s mainland to the Crimean Peninsula, which can become the main transportation route from Russia to Syria and help restore Syria’s infrastructure, said Georgy Muradov, the deputy chairman of the Crimean Council of Ministers, when he spoke in February at a forum on Russian-Syrian business cooperation.