I’m sorry, but I still do not trust Russia, Iran and China in this matter. In the short term it will be good for Christians in the regions occupied by ISIS. In the long run, it significantly increases the danger to Israel, the US, and Christians in the region. It’s like choosing between Hitler and Stalin. You got to live another day with Stalin but you were in a perpetual dictatorship ran by the NKVD and you could be off to the Gulag at any moment. With Hitler, you were heading to the camps.
Good point to reference World War II. Nobody in his right mind objected to Stalin fighting against our demonic enemy Hitler. I’m not going to object to Putin fighting against the baby killers and Christian-massacring demons of ISIS.
Putin is a very big question mark, but in past he did something that was profoundly religious: he invited all the Orthodox churches to a conclave in Moscow. The background to this was startling.
When Rome fell to the barbarians, the seat of Christendom moved to Constantinople, where it stayed until it fell to Islam. But by that time, the Roman church returned to Rome. Except that Moscow thought it should become the new Rome.
And ever since then, the Russians have thought it was past due that Moscow become the seat of Christendom. So you can imagine the response when Putin hosted this conclave.
And finally, unlike Obama, Putin frequently speaks out in defense of Christians and Christianity. So, like I said, he is enigmatic.
With ISIS you don't.
Israel can defend itself from any attack coming from a Russian contingent. The Christians are vulnerable and defenseless against ISIS. Because the US is too enfeebled to step up and engage the jihadis head-on, Russia - like it or not - is going to fill that leadership vacuum. Russia is the alpha male on the ground there now.
The Hitler-Stalin comparison is a faulty one. Putin isn’t targeting Christians.. ISIS is. As desperate a situation as Syria’s Christians find themselves, they’ll welcome help wherever they can find it. The US can’t lead anymore, so the religious minorities have to look elsewhere for aid in their desire to survive.