Starting with the caveat that no agreement of whatever type in Syria has so far had a shelf life which can be counted even in hours, this does look like a game changer. It is a triumph for Putin, who has stepped in to fill the vacuum caused by the chaotic state of western diplomacy in the Middle East. It is also a success for the modernized Russian military doctrine of fighting wars smart, hard and fast. It took them just over a year. America, Britain and bits of NATO are blundering about still, 15 years after going into Iraq. It puts Russia firmly in the driving seat and is politically astonishing because Turkey is a NATO member. Unlike the West which has an agglomeration of so called allies who defy every standard of human rights it holds dear and covertly work against its interests, Russia has just two, Turkey and Iran. Even more interesting is that Turkey wants to overthrow Assad while Russia supports him.
So where does this leave the West? Hopefully humbly rejoicing that at least the worst bloodshed may be over, trying now to get a combined approach with these new power brokers to deal with IS and watching Twitter to see what happens next.
Where’s Boris?