Taking on Islamic State: From US to Russia, here's how its affecting various nations

The past week has seen major developments on the international fight against the world’s most notorious terror outfit that has already eclipsed the dreaded al Qaeda – the Islamic State (IS). France has started air raids on IS targets in Syria. Days later Russia followed suit, significantly after the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, their first in two years. [caption id=“attachment_2453786” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Though both powers are carrying on with air raids against IS targets in Syria they are also following the same policy of ’no boots on the ground’. Meanwhile, Iran has filled in that space and sent thousands of its foot soldiers in Syria to fight the IS. The US-led Western community has, meanwhile, cried foul as Russia focused on non-IS targets in Syria in a bid to bolster its friend and ally, the besieged Syrian President Bashar Assad. As a result, Russia came up with some strikes against the IS targets in Syria, but only after the Russian fighter aircraft had pummelled forces opposing Assad. There is hardly an important power that doesn’t figure in the ongoing chess game being played in the name of the international war against the IS. Here is a primer to decode who’s doing what in the ongoing strategic game: Iran Undoubtedly, Iran is the biggest victor as well as the beneficiary so far in this game. As we know Iran is a Shia nation. Shias can now boast of three countries where they are in power: Iran, Iraq and Syria, the last two primarily because of Iran. Besides, Iran has increased its international profile because of its recent diplomatic successes with the West, much to the consternation of its two biggest enemies, the Sunni power Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state of Israel. Saudi Arabia This country’s leadership of the Muslim world has been challenged by Iran in the past but in the ongoing military campaign against IS targets in Syria, the Saudis have had taken a diplomatic beating. There have been murmurs that Saudi Arabia is going soft on the IS, a Sunni terror outfit. This has further muddied the waters for Riyadh. Israel This undeclared nuclear weapon power is in a win-win situation with the IS juggernaut spreading its influence. After all, it stands to benefit if the Muslim nations fight each other. But things are not exactly panning out the way Tel Aviv would want. Israel would benefit if two or more Muslim states were to come out openly against each other but that hasn’t happened so far. Russia After Iran, Russia is the biggest beneficiary of the IS/Syria conundrum. Russia has not only managed to impart timely help to its ally President Assad by bombing his non-IS opponents, it has also managed to convey to the US-led western nations that it cannot do business in Syria or elsewhere in the Arab world without the help of Moscow. United States The Americans are the prime movers and shakers of the present developments in the Arab world. They are no longer dependent on the Middle East for oil after having become not only self sufficient in oil, courtesy the shale revolution, but are also now net exporters of the commodity. Therefore they are in a position to take a hard line via any Middle Eastern nation, a luxury they did not have before. They are sitting high and pretty and watching the unfolding developments from a vantage position. China The Chinese, for a change, do not have much at stake in the ongoing war against the IS, particularly in the Syrian theatre. They are fringe players at best. And given their economic challenges, they have higher priorities elsewhere. India As usual, India is nowhere in the strategic matrix of the Middle East. India is not even a fringe player. This is the most ideal time for India to increase its strategic footprints in the Arab world, but how, when and where are the questions which will be answered in months to come. That is if India is to play this game.