The Syrian Civil War started in March 2011 and still continues. It causes death, turmoil, humanitarian crisis, and mass migration in the region. Numerous state and non-state actors are involved in this multi-sided armed conflict. On 24 November 2015, Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet on its border and this event becomes the turning point in Russo-Turkish relations. An economic and psychological war starts between Moscow and Ankara which damages their good relations existed before the crisis. Despite the crisis, the sides to the conflict understand that they need each other for their own benefits and look for reconciliation. Russia, a supporter of the Assad government in Syria, does not want to lose Turkey as a friend. Turkey, an energy partner of Russia, needs Russia to balance the power relations in the region. They are two neighboring countries with strong historical socio-economic ties that need to be restored. The reconciliation process is not easy and requires some third party role. The PYD/YPG-centered US policy in Syria affects Turkey's strategies.

In the 30 years since the emergence of the post-Soviet conflicts things have both changed and remained the same - continuities and changes in post-Soviet conflicts are the primary themes of this volume - it addresses all major wars, civil wars, and rebellions in the former Soviet Union. The volume focuses on factors that have contributed or may contribute to the resolution of the post-Soviet conflicts, most of which have represented rather long and damaging crises. In all conflict cases Moscow has been guided by Russian state interests - some have been instigated or fueled, others driven to a frozen state, and still a couple of others have been constructively resolved due to Moscow's intervention. Russia has used a long-term strategy for the resolution of those conflicts that have taken place on its soil, but in regards to the conflicts in other post-Soviet states, there is no long-term solution in sight. As such, the conflicts in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Nagorniy Karabakh, remain unresolved involving not only the named states, but Russia as well. They may represent localized national or regional crisis impacting only the states involved, but for the Russian Federation they epitomize one huge post-Soviet crisis with no obvious end.

In the 30 years since the emergence of the post-Soviet conflicts things have both changed and remained the same - continuities and changes in post-Soviet conflicts are the primary themes of this volume - it addresses all major wars, civil wars, and rebellions in the former Soviet Union. The volume focuses on factors that have contributed or may contribute to the resolution of the post-Soviet conflicts, most of which have represented rather long and damaging crises. In all conflict cases Moscow has been guided by Russian state interests - some have been instigated or fueled, others driven to a frozen state, and still a couple of others have been constructively resolved due to Moscow's intervention. Russia has used a long-term strategy for the resolution of those conflicts that have taken place on its soil, but in regards to the conflicts in other post-Soviet states, there is no long-term solution in sight. As such, the conflicts in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Nagorniy Karabakh, remain unresolved involving not only the named states, but Russia as well. They may represent localized national or regional crisis impacting only the states involved, but for the Russian Federation they epitomize one huge post-Soviet crisis with no obvious end.