Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad enter a hall during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. (REUTERS/ALEXEI DRUZHININ/RIA NOVOSTI/KREMLIN)
Eli Lake & Josh Rogin, Bloomberg: U.S. Is Driving Mideast Allies Toward Putin
America’s traditional Middle East allies, having run out of patience with President Barack Obama's policy in Syria, are now reaching out to a resurgent Russia -- even though it is bolstering the very dictator so many of them have pushed to leave power.
Some in Washington see the new ties as a threat to U.S. interests, especially because the U.S. has worked since the 1970s to keep Russian influence out of the Middle East. But the Obama administration sees an opportunity. The State Department is now quietly encouraging U.S. allies to engage with Moscow, as part of Secretary John Kerry's quest to win Russian support for a political process in Syria.
Kerry is the main U.S. official still arguing for cooperation with Russia to start peace talks that could resolve the Syrian civil war. But the Russian response has been consistently to rebuke Kerry’s offers. Since Kerry began his latest diplomacy push in the spring, the Russians have sent tanks, bombers and soldiers to Syria. The Russian air force has focused its bombing on the U.S.-backed opposition instead of the Islamic State, the terrorists whom Kerry believes present a common enemy for Russia and the U.S.
WNU Editor: I am still trying to digest what has happened (and is happening) in the Middle East. On the one hand the U.S. has spent trillions of dollars in the Middle East, lost thousands of soldiers .... tens of thousands wounded .... keeps a massive military/economic/diplomatic presence in the region .... but is now being perceived by almost everyone as being a declining power that is losing influence and clout in the Middle East. On the other hand .... Russia has stayed out of the Middle East for decades but decided two months ago to deploy a few thousand soldiers, send some military aid to Syria, and deploy a few dozen aircraft .... but are now being perceived as the power brokers in the Middle East .... and the country that everyone in the region must work and deal with.
Am I the only one who sees how bizarre this is?