The Russian president has been on a victory lap to Syria and the Middle East, intent on showing that he has outplayed the US in the regionVladimir Putin went on a victory lap of Syria and the Middle East this week, intent on showcasing his ability to secure the upper hand against the US in the region. On a surprise visit to a Russian airbase on the Syrian coast, he demonstratively embraced the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whose hold on power Russia´s military intervention has all but saved. `Friends, the motherland is waiting for you,` Mr Putin told a detachment of Russian soldiers. `You are coming back home with victory.`Meanwhile, in eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb of Damascus where Russia had announced earlier this year that a ceasefire would take hold, children living under siege are starving. Despite the `de-escalation` deal, Syrian government forces continue to pound the area, backed by Iranian and Russian allies in an attempt to score a decisive victory. These two scenes spoke volumes about Russia´s calculus, and about the realities it has helped create on the ground. That the Russian president has now announced a substantial troop withdrawal must be taken with a barrel of salt. Similar pledges have been made before and remain unfulfilled. On Tuesday a Kremlin spokesperson said Russia would retain a sizable force in Syria to fight `terrorists`. Russia´s definition of `terrorism` in Syria is like that of the Assad regime, which equates it to political opposition. Continue reading...
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