This document analyzes foreign involvement in Syria from a neo-realist perspective. It discusses the US and Russian interventions and their motivations, which included pursuing their own strategic interests, maintaining security, and countering each other's influence in the region. The civil war created a power vacuum that regional and global powers sought to fill. The US and Russia both aimed to control resources and alliances. While their actions were driven by self-interest in the anarchic system, liberal elements were also present in agreements and UN involvement.