The insurgency wasn’t the only threat then. Nation states were openly threatening conventional attack. The USA and Turkey were within days of attacking the Syrian Army.
The Russians saved us from an ISIS/Saudi Syria.
Russians and Assad have helped ISIS; they attack rebels only. That’s why Assad is peeved that we are there, we and our mainly Kurdish forces were beating ISIS.
I just wish these Geo-Strategic wonderkinderen would focus their lust for world control towards an actual Marxist Enemy, like the one with the worlds largest population perhaps?
Tiananmen II sounds a lot smarter to me than Cold War II.