[Cboldt]

I have a feeling that Russia:Syria::China:NK
Q-speak for "Russia is to Syria what China is to North Korea." Not clean, but the vector for real pressure from the US. Neither Russia nor China wants US as an enemy.
Assad, unlike Rocket Man, does not appear to be seeing the light.

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Aaack - meant for that parallel construction to be Russia:Iran, not Russia:Syria. Syria is a sort of middleman or distraction in the game.

[txhurl]

I always thought the warm water port of Tartous was reasons A-Z for everything that happens in Syria, along with the proposed Gazprom pipeline. Who knows, maybe they have rare earths, too.