Russian President Vladimir Putin's intervention in the Syrian Civil War in 2015 totally transformed the situation.
Thanks to Russian air power, armaments, propaganda, and other assistance, including Russian military advisers and mercenaries, embattled Syrian President Basher al-Assad was able to hang on to power in Syria and finally become dominant once again.
Now Putin has moved to put the diplomatic seal on this victory with a conference held in Sochi in the South of Russia with Recep Erdogan, the leader of Turkey, and Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran. Both Turkey and Iran are major regional powers, who now largely side with Putin on the Syrian question.
As reported by Russia Today:
"The Russian president...said that he and his counterparts see the potential for a long-term, comprehensive political settlement in Syria. The talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi lasted two hours, with Putin saying that they were detailed and included all aspects of the Syrian settlement."
As part of Putin's peace plan, the leaders agreed to support the creation of an All-Syrian Congress to be held in Sochi, the Russian city where Putin met his fellow leaders. The congress would represent the country?s opposition groups as well as ethnic and religious minorities.
"The presidents of Iran and Turkey supported the initiative to convene an all-Syrian forum-congress of the national dialogue in Syria. We agreed to hold this important event at the proper level and ensure the participation of representatives of different sectors of Syrian society," Putin said after the talk.
This arrangement will effectively freeze out America and make it harder for the US to derail things in Syria, while also maintaining Russia's hegemonic position there.
The US now has few cards to play. Even though US-backed Kurds occupy much of Northern Syria, the vast majority of the country's population is now back under the control of the Assad government.
Also American backing for the Kurds has turned out to be a liability, as it has driven a wedge between the US and Turkey, pushing Erdogan into a near alliance with Putin. As we saw recently in Iraq, the Kurdish card has limited power because America is unable to push for greater Kurdish autonomy without alienating the entire Arab World.
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