By Putin’s own definition, Russia won in Syria
By Sergey Aleksashenko
Pavel and I agree that while the withdrawal of Russian military power from Syria came as a surprise in the immediate sense, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to pull out was logical given the circumstances he faced in Syria. Where we differ is in our assessment of whether Putin essentially won at his own game in Syria. I argue that he did, and that the West misunderstands that—which will make it harder for the West to predict his next moves.
First, when Putin deployed Russian armed forces in Syria last September, these …read more
Source: Brookings