Strategic Assessment
As the war in Syria appears to be drawing to a close, Russia and China are looking ahead, particularly at the business opportunities available to them. Yet despite the rapprochement between Russia and China in the international arena, the cooperation that characterized these two powers during the war in Syria is likely to give way to economic rivalry that will remind them both of the bones of contention between them. At the same time, the Russian-Chinese rapprochement in the global arena, and recently in the Middle East as well, despite its limitations and difficulties, is liable to bolster the standing of parties acting against Israel’s interests in the region, while weakening the influence of the United States. Israel should monitor regional developments from the perspective of relations between the powers, while also taking into account the possibility that China and Russia will cooperate in creating a bloc against the United States.