The Morning Vertical, February 23, 2017
(World News Russia)

ON MY MIND After propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad and prolonging Syria`s civil war, after destroying Aleppo with airstrikes that caused massive civilian casualties, after violating ceasefire after ceasefire, Russia is now asking world powers to pony up billions of dollars for Syria`s reconstruction. As the Financial Times reports in a piece featured below, European and Gulf states are balking at the idea, saying any aid must be tied to a political transition. In other words, Assad must go. We`re entering the phase where Russia`s big push into the Middle East gets tricky for Moscow. They`ve upended Western policy in Syria and against the odds they`ve kept their client regime in...