[Capt. Tom]

Sarkis Naoum, a leading Lebanese commentator on Syria, said that if Russia decided to launch a wide-scale operation in the north, it would lead to a "war on an international scale"

I would read that as involving local countries as Turkey, Saudi Arabia etc: and not Europe or the USA. - tom

[EBH]

Correct, I believe the article is supporting that theory. The Western world is about to leave this mess behind. Russia will control vast swaths of the Middle East.

In such a scenario, as the new power broker in the region, the question becomes are we potentially facing oil embargoes etc.

Putin is no friend of Muslims either, so is this all really about the oil?