The attempt to free himself from that situation by playing a bold, Realpolitik card indicates that Putin is an ambitious gambler who is capable of proposing tactical solutions to a problem even when he finds himself in a nearly hopeless situation. The only problem is that the card Putin played — and on which he has staked his country's future — is not an ace, but a deuce. Even if Russia were to redouble its military presence in the Middle East, it does not have a presence in the region that would enable it to dictate its own terms to a Syrian solution, one that would add to Moscow's prestige in international affairs.
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