Russian media have reported that Russian military units (dubbed “anti-terror” troops) have moved into Syria to help reinforce the regime of Putin’s comrade-in-arms, Bashar al-Assad.
One wonders what took so long. After months of billion-dollar arms sales and stonewalling the U.N. Security Council, it was only natural that the Kremlin would consummate the relationship with the blood of civilians.
Since Hillary Clinton agrees with Vogue magazine that Assad and his couture-wearing trophy wife are “reformers,” maybe the U.S. should contribute “anti-terror” units to the shelling of Homs as well.
In all seriousness, I’m waiting for the radical left to spin this development as some sort of new “anti-imperial” union, a counterweight to the U.S. juggernaut–sort of like Nasser’s United Arab Republic. Let me know when the first such piece is written by Alexander Cockburn, Tariq Ali, Glenn Greenwald, et. al.
And in other news: The sun rises in the east. This doesn’t really come as a suprise; it’s been in the works for awhile, Putin was probably waiting to get through the Russian elections before he did this. This is very bad news for the Syrian Free Army. The Spetsnaz are no joke, they’re the real deal; these guys cut their teeth on Chechnya. And this is on top of Hizballah, and elements of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, who have had boots on the ground in Syria for the last couple of months. I suspect that the fighting in Syria will be over pretty soon, now. The good news here is that it’s a pretty good guess that US and/or NATO forces (as if there’s a difference!) will probably not be going to pick another fight in the sandbox; I doubt that we’re going to poke the Russian bear with a sharp, pointy stick.
Considering that the opposition is Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda, we’re better off with Assad – monster that he is.
Better an Alawite Dictator that has to spend his resources subduing his own people that a popular Islamic Republic led by the Brotherhood.