Putin’s Strategy for Mideast Takes a Hit

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Nov. 24, 2015 | Thomas Grove

[tlozo]

The downing of a Russian jet fighter by Turkey threatens to disrupt President Vladimir Putin's plan to bring more countries into his antiterrorism tent, as well as any potential rapprochement with the West. Since launching airstrikes in Syria at the end of September that he said were directed against Islamic State and other terrorist groups, Mr. Putin had called on other countries to join an alliance that includes Iran, Iraq and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The recent terror attacks in Paris created an opening for the Kremlin: Moscow is preparing for a visit Thursday by French President Francois Hollande to talk about expanded cooperation. Mr. Hollande's visit, two days after he met President Barack Obama, was supposed to be a crowning moment for Mr. Putin's new strategy, offering a potential way out of the isolation Russia has suffered after Washington and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. But the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet-the first loss of a fighter aircraft by any of the foreign powers engaged militarily in Syria-is likely to redraw the lines of engagement in Syria and affect Russians' perceptions of their country's intervention, analysts say. "Hollande's mission was to reach some kind of coordination with Russia,"said Alexei Makarkin, deputy director at Center for Political Technologies. "Now it is very, very doubtful that it is even possible to coordinate actions. The maximum that we can talk about now is avoiding shooting each other.'

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

All while Obama is saying Russia can join the fight “if..” Hello? Russia has already joined the fight. Me thinks there are too many chiefs, if you can actually call Obama a Chief. He is more of a fraud, but he wants to own the position anyway. He is the CONmander-in-Chief.

[BlessedBeGod]

May be a little easier to read: MOSCOW—The downing of a Russian jet fighter by Turkey threatens to disrupt President Vladimir Putin’s plan to bring more countries into his antiterrorism tent, as well as any potential rapprochement with the West.

Since launching airstrikes in Syria at the end of September that he said were directed against Islamic State and other terrorist groups, Mr. Putin had called on other countries to join an alliance that includes Iran, Iraq and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The recent terror attacks in Paris created an opening for the Kremlin: Moscow is preparing for a visit Thursday by French President François Hollande to talk about expanded cooperation.

Mr. Hollande’s visit, two days after he met President Barack Obama, was supposed to be a crowning moment for Mr. Putin’s new strategy, offering a potential way out of the isolation Russia has suffered after Washington and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.

But the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet—the first loss of a fighter aircraft by any of the foreign powers engaged militarily in Syria—is likely to redraw the lines of engagement in Syria and affect Russians’ perceptions of their country’s intervention, analysts say.

“Hollande’s mission was to reach some kind of coordination with Russia,” said Alexei Makarkin, deputy director at Center for Political Technologies. “Now it is very, very doubtful that it is even possible to coordinate actions. The maximum that we can talk about now is avoiding shooting each other.”

[BlessedBeGod]

Sorry -- I hit Post instead of Preview:

MOSCOW -- The downing of a Russian jet fighter by Turkey threatens to disrupt President Vladimir Putin's plan to bring more countries into his antiterrorism tent, as well as any potential rapprochement with the West.

Since launching airstrikes in Syria at the end of September that he said were directed against Islamic State and other terrorist groups, Mr. Putin had called on other countries to join an alliance that includes Iran, Iraq and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The recent terror attacks in Paris created an opening for the Kremlin: Moscow is preparing for a visit Thursday by French President Francois Hollande to talk about expanded cooperation.

Mr. Hollande's visit, two days after he met President Barack Obama, was supposed to be a crowning moment for Mr. Putin's new strategy, offering a potential way out of the isolation Russia has suffered after Washington and the European Union imposed sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.

But the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet -- the first loss of a fighter aircraft by any of the foreign powers engaged militarily in Syria -- is likely to redraw the lines of engagement in Syria and affect Russians' perceptions of their country's intervention, analysts say.

"Hollande's mission was to reach some kind of coordination with Russia," said Alexei Makarkin, deputy director at Center for Political Technologies. "Now it is very, very doubtful that it is even possible to coordinate actions. The maximum that we can talk about now is avoiding shooting each other."

[Fido969]

This is a green light for Putin to go berserker in the mid-east.

[AlaskaErik]

It’s one plane and one helicopter. Putin will not let this set him back. We’re not talking about Obama here.

[McGruff]

I’m surprised this is the first aircraft Russia has lost in this campaign. How many sorties have they flown and not one shootdown.

[factoryrat]

This will be a problem. The russians have no qualms about indiscriminate carpet bombing, consequences be damned. Whether NATO will side with Turkey remains to be seen.

What russia has learned from past dealings in the ME is that there are no loyalties among the muslim tribes; there’s only who you can buy off at any given point in time.

So the russians, not wanting to repeat the mistakes made by the US and the west, and lessons learned from afghanistan, will just bomb the shit out of anybody who they view as a credible threat.

[Sacajaweau]

Both Syria and Iraq have asked Russia for assistance against ISIS.

Iraq asked the US for assistance two years ago and Obama told them to go s**** themselves...It's a civil war...and not our war. Syria has never asked the US for assistance in their civil war.

We don't belong in either country at the present time.

[TexasRepublic]

Whatever target the Russians hit in Syria, it is the right target.

[Iron Munro]

Turkey made a big mistake for no gain at all.

Putin may wait a while but Turkey will pay for their aggression.

[Lady Heron]

Actually this helped Putin. People are actually looking at who Turkey and the US are helping finally.

[Terry L Smith]

I do not believe that mr. Putin’s policy “took a hit”.

I believe that he chummed the waters for the desired cause, and for the forthcoming effect.

Turkey, since the days of The Cold War, has always geologically faced the Soviet/Russian underbelly on the opposite shore of the water. Turkey was a staging area for the U.S., in the day where surface-to-surface missiles were as large as fighter aircraft and rail-mounted launchings were the norm, i.e., Regulus/Snark/Matador designs.

So, i believe that mr. Putin remembers this well, and has plans for Turkey, but needed them ‘to step in it’, first.