But Mr Putin’s Ukrainian adventure is stuck. The separatists he has supported in the east of the country are a rough and unruly bunch, and incapable of uniting the local population. As he tries to focus attention away from Ukraine, he has found a new enemy and new adventure in Syria. In geographical terms, Syria is a lot closer to Russia than it is to the United States. For the first time in a generation, Russia is standing up to the US, and running rings around an American president. As Senator John McCain said in Washington, the Russians now have a place in the Middle East for the first time since Anwar Sadat threw out Soviet advisers in 1972 and aligned Egypt with the US.
Read Full Article »
