The time had come to bend the knee — or no less than bend to fact.A delegation of Russian diplomats arrived remaining Tuesday in a caravan of white SUVs for a summit in Damascus and an unenviable task: lay the groundwork for Russia to stay its army bases in Syria, not up to two months after rebels had toppled Moscow’s most well-liked strongman, Bashar al-Assad.To take action, the delegation would wish to win over a folks the Russian army had bombed ruthlessly, serving to Mr. al-Assad, for years.Looking forward to them was once Ahmed al-Shara, who had survived a decade of Russian airstrikes to emerge as Syria’s new period in-between chief. He stood within the presidential palace and confronted the Kremlin’s envoys for a long-awaited reckoning.The talks that ensued, the primary between Moscow and Damascus for the reason that finish of the just about 14-year battle, ended unresolved. However they marked the start of doubtless drawn-out negotiations about what position, if any, Russia will play in postwar Syria, having misplaced its bid to stay Mr. al-Assad in energy.The assembly demonstrated the type of geopolitical horse-trading that has begun within the aftermath of Syria’s civil battle — with the prospective to remake the Center East. Global powers are jockeying for affect, as Syria’s fledgling management tries to win legitimacy, safety and support via disciplined and stony-eyed realpolitik.“I believe the overall air in Damascus is, ‘We Syrians don’t desire a battle with any individual at this level, together with our former enemies,’” stated Charles Lister, a senior fellow on the Center East Institute in Washington. “So de-escalation and pragmatism are the names of the sport.”Thanks on your persistence whilst we test get entry to. In case you are in Reader mode please go out and log into your Instances account, or subscribe for all of The Instances.Thanks on your persistence whilst we test get entry to.Already a subscriber? Log in.Need all of The Instances? Subscribe.
