Russia Wants to Have Its Cake and Eat It Too
Paul Craig Roberts- Putin has harmed Russia by demonstrating that Russia cuts and runs and is not a reliable ally.
The Kremlin’s spokesman said the countries in the Middle East are “now plunging into the abyss of instability and war.” The Kremlin should have thought about that before Putin green-lighted the instability and war by standing aside from Russia’s Iranian ally, just as Putin stood aside from Russia’s Syrian ally, thus leading to the destruction of Syria.
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https://thealtworld.com/paul_craig_roberts/russia-wants-to-have-its-cake-and-eat-it-too
More like Russia recognizes it's limits and acts out of reason, not fanaticism. Syria was not the hill to die on.