Putin holds winning cards as Syrian war nears Idlib showdown
(The Guardian Turkey)

Saudi and Israeli fears over Iran have benefited AssadThe surrender of rebel forces in south-west Syria, following the fall of eastern Ghouta and other regime successes, strengthens the grim expectation that nothing can now deny Bashar al-Assad a final victory - of sorts - in Syria´s civil war.But the physical restoration of territory does not necessarily translate into restoration of political authority. For Assad, besieged by predatory friends and neighbours and shunned internationally, the larger question is: having survived the war, can he survive the peace? Continue reading...