Most of the Syrian army is Sunni.
Most of Syria's government is Sunni. It's the sectarian Sunnis that are the problem.
Two Sides
Russian warplanes have been flying hundreds of sorties over Syria
since September. They are the main
military component of Moscow’s support for the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Russia has many reasons to back Assad’s regime and to bomb its opponents. Under Assad, Syria hosts
a vital Russian naval base and acts as a Russian listening post and military-intelligence hub.
Supporting the Assad regime also pleases Iran, which is Russia’s other main Middle Eastern ally and
a staunch supporter of Assad. Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war also allows President Vladimir Putin
to trumpet the message that the era of United States’ dominance is ending and that Russia is now crucial for solving international problems—whether Western powers like it or not.
Turkey, on the other hand, has good reason to oppose Russia’s efforts to keep Assad in power.
The Turkish leadership is gravely worried about Iran’s expanding power in the Middle East and opposes
Tehran’s influence in Syria and beyond. The Turks know that to oust Assad would be to weaken
the foundation of Iran’s axis—especially in Turkey’s backyard.
They are determined to see Assad toppled.
After Turkey downed the Russian jet, the Russian leadership denied having violated Turkey’s airspace
and
discussed declaring war on Turkey. The Russians stopped short of such a declaration,
but Putin said it was a “stab in the back delivered by the accomplices of terrorists,”
and Russia’s foreign minister said Moscow “can’t but react to what has happened.”
The reaction began on November 28, when Putin issued a decree suspending employment of
Turkish workers in Russia. Russia also started detaining some Turkish ships at its ports, suspended
its visa-free travel deal with Turkey, levied bans on importing certain Turkish goods and suspended military cooperation with the Turks.
The incident effectively froze Russia-Turkey relations.
Turkey called for a cancellation of these punitive measures and for relations to be restored,
but Russia refused.Turkey reacted to that refusal by
holding some of Russia’s ships at the Black Sea port of Samsun.
the ice between Russia and Turkey will not melt anytime soon.
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/a-big-day-in-geopolitics/
an East vs. West conflict is growing
