THE INDEPENDENT – Once it was the State Department which called for ‘restraint on all sides’ – usually when the Israelis were invading or bombing Lebanon or Gaza – but now it’s the Kremlin which calls for ‘restraint’ between Israel and Iran. Putin is fast becoming a friend to all (…)
So to what degree has Putin’s shrewd, hard, sardonic character brought all this about – and how much did Trump’s instability and unpredictability hand Russia its political triumph in the Middle East? It’s tempting to say a bit of both. But I suspect that an Obama might have provided a regional equilibrium which Putin has now claimed for himself. When Moscow is now the interlocuteur valablein the Middle East, it’s difficult to take the gift of equilibrium politics away from Putin. Europe’s case is hopeless. CONTINUE READING
