From Russia with Love

Everything’s quiet on the domestic front. By quiet I obviously mean a cassette player stuck on an endless loop with the same annoying song playing. For once, I felt it prudent to block the usual tirade and focus on the international chess game that is unfolding around the Syrian civil war.
Ever since a UN report confirmed the use of chemical weapons in Syria, allegedly by al-Assad’s government forces (this has been vociferously denied by Assad), the West has been in uproar over what they see as a blatant violation of international law by Assad’s regime. The chemical in question, Sarin gas, is classified as a weapon of mass destruction and one quick YouTube search will show you its horrific effects. From there, the events unfolded quite dramatically with Barack Obama appearing to be on the warpath, determined to push through with his plans for a military strike on Syria to decapitate Assad’s regime. This would not, obviously, be the first time the US decides to stick its nose in another country’s war. In fact, the United States has already been providing weapons and aid to the Syrian rebels. And for all the rest of us, glued to our television screens/twitter updates, it seemed to be yet another instance where the US strong-armed their interest on to a country in transition.
But there’s another major player in this game. Someone who’s been a consistent thorn in the United States’ arrogant back. In one quick maneuver, Vladimir Putin painted himself into a hero. Putin’s proposal for getting Syria to hand over its chemical weapons to the international community is nothing short of a masterstroke. In doing so, he enforced his relations with the Syrian government, who get a large amount of weapons from the Russians, and he also softened his image to the American public, who were just as incensed at Obama’s wish to strike Syria. For Obama, this is a diplomatic defeat of epic proportions. He painted himself into a corner with his plans and looked certain to lose in Congress until Putin sprung a get-out-of-jail-free card on him. He might not suffer the ignominy Bush did but he’s getting there.
In itself, Obama’s plan to bomb Syria was nothing short of idiotic. It might have even worked against the US’s interests should he have followed through with it. The rebels fighting Assad’s armed forces are no longer the nationalistic patriots they were once thought to be. Hardline extremists have infiltrated their ranks, with a growing link to Al-Qaeda and other militant organisations. Putin’s move was not only brilliant; it was also the most sensible, given the current circumstances. To drive home his advantage, Putin published an editorial in the New York Times that had Obama squirming in The White House.
The Middle East is a different kind of animal, one as volatile as the oil it stores in its belly. There are a million agendas, and hundreds of wars will doubtlessly rise from the deserts in the coming years. The conflict in Syria will shed more blood in the coming days, but Putin’s intervention looks to have delayed a mass wasteland for the time being. That will, however, change if his proposal to get the chemical weapons away from Syrian hands fails. For now, the chess pieces are perched precariously on the edges of the board. Obama’s cornered and Vlad sees checkmate in sight.

For rants, criticisms and discussion on the beautiful state of politics in this country of ours, yours truly can be found at ahmad.ibrahim1207@gmail.com. Conditions apply.