Russian President Putin. TASS
Anna Borshchevskaya, Forbes: How Putin Checkmated The US In Syria
September 30 will mark the two year anniversary of Moscow’s intervention in Syria that saved Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from an eminent collapse. Assad is largely responsible for one of the worst humanitarian tragedies since World War II. Today, in no small part thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has emerged in the strongest position since massive uprisings swept the country in March 2011.
Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have done much to prop up Assad in the last six years. In late spring of 2013, a Hezbollah surge kept him from falling. But in September 2015 it was Russian airpower that saved Assad from losing ground.
Putin had stood by Assad from the very beginning and protected him in multiple ways. He armed him, protected him on the U.N. Security Council, and sustained Syria’s military and economy. But the intervention was a game changer that signaled Russia’s escalation in Syria.
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WNU Editor: It looks like that .... for now.
