Support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Middle East appears to have grown since Moscow began its military intervention in Syria in an alleged attempt to combat the Islamic State.
Putin enthusiasts in the region see the Russian leader as a foil to President Obama and the U.S. policy toward Syria.
The Associated Press reported:
Amid the ornate walls of Damascus’ famed Omayyad Mosque, preacher Maamoun Rahmeh stood before worshippers last week, declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin a "giant and beloved leader" who has "destroyed the myth of the self-aggrandizing America." ... The Russian leader is winning accolades from many in Iraq and Syria, who see Russian airstrikes in Syria as a turning point after more than a year of largely ineffectual efforts by the U.S.-led coalition to dislodge the Islamic State militants who have occupied significant parts of the two countries.
Support for Putin and the Russian military intervention is visible in posters of the Russian leader on cars, billboards, and portraits sold in art shops in Baghdad. Russia’s military began launching airstrikes in Syria less than two weeks ago in addition to firing cruise missiles into the country from Russian ships in the Caspian Sea.
"The (Russian) intervention has raised the morale of the Syrian army and the Syrian people alike," Dr. Samir Haddad, from the Syrian city Homs that was the target of the first Russian airstrikes, said. "President Putin has a distinguished personality and charisma, and it has become clear that world leaders have gradually started approving, openly or secretly, of this intervention."
While Moscow has insisted that its main goal is to wipe out the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS), U.S. officials believe that the airstrikes are deliberately targeting CIA-backed Syrian rebels fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime in a challenge to Obama’s Syria policy.
Indeed, Syrian government troops were able to launch a ground offensive against rebels in central Syria under the cover of Russian air forces Monday.
Nevertheless, a top diplomat said last week that the Iraqi government would also welcome Russian airstrikes against IS in Iraq.
Support for Putin has also emerged in the form of flags and t-shirts in Egypt and Lebanon.