THE PROBLEM OF SETTLEMENT OF THE SYRIAN CONFLICT AT THE NEW STAGE OF ITS DEVELOPMENT

The article deals with an urgent topic. The settlement of the Syrian conflict is still one of the biggest challenges of the international agenda of the second decade of the XXI century. Despite the statements of the elimination of the Islamic State, which is prohibited in Russia, the conflict is going on. We are witnessing a new cycle of an armed conflict in Syria. The aim of the article is to analyze the possibilities of the settlement of the Syrian conflict at the current state of its development. The article provides the chronology of fighting with the Islamic State, analyses the current configuration of forces acting in the conflict, studies the forces exacerbating the crisis. The author came to the following conclusions. The Middle East is experiencing a period of a profound transformation. The Syrian crisis has revealed the fundamental differences of interests between the main regional actors and the world center of power. The stabilization of the situation in Syria depends on the actions of the external parties of the conflict.