Yet, at this point all the talk about legitimacy in Syria is really far fetched.
It is blatently obvious that Russia is of course not caring at all for the so much vaunted rule of law or legitimacy in international relations when it comes to further their interests. As has already been displayed in other theaters. Russia, partly utilizing brute and indiscriminate force, intents to keep it's sphere of influence by supporting a ruler that happens to be the incumbent.
Compounding the refugee problem is of course a neat side effect, as a few hundred-thousand more refugees along or inside Turkey's border / streaming for Europe may serve the purpose of destabilizing those players to a certain extent.
And from a Russian standpoint, they appear to be smart and successfull. Their aggressive information campaign, displaying themselves as the misunderstood victim and generous reliever, seems to really cath up with people.
By first selectively, and against their own stated intentions, eliminating any opposition to Assad that can muster a hint of legitimacy or who are not crazy fundamentalists, Russia is, smartly, putting the so called West into the corner of having to defeat the last remaining Assad opposition, or be seen as supporting ISIS.
Furthermore, while several (in hindsight) ridiculously looking western views about middle eastern peoples' will / capability to live in "democratic, open, even liberal" societies have been truely shattered, it is an equally rose-coloured dream that five years ago only a few foreign sponsored, die-hard fanatics attacked the common syrien peoples peacefull life, causing a civil war. But that dream, again, seems to have caught on.
There was, obviously, a very wide disconsent in the population. Wich government forces at some point decided to remove with force. Which really didn't go down well. Unfortunately, in those instanes, and regions, the ones you least want to advance are the ones most determined, organized and funded.
Besides all of the above, Turkey, in all of this, appears to follow yet another completely different path then either the Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, Assad axis, or the so called West.
That said, if one actually cares to look for it instead of just listening for the loudest shouting carnival barker, it becomes clear that "western capitals" have repeatedly critiziezed Turkey for attacks on kurdish forces. Most recently Washington just yesterday.
It is blatently obvious that Russia is of course not caring at all for the so much vaunted rule of law or legitimacy in international relations when it comes to further their interests. As has already been displayed in other theaters. Russia, partly utilizing brute and indiscriminate force, intents to keep it's sphere of influence by supporting a ruler that happens to be the incumbent.
Compounding the refugee problem is of course a neat side effect, as a few hundred-thousand more refugees along or inside Turkey's border / streaming for Europe may serve the purpose of destabilizing those players to a certain extent.
And from a Russian standpoint, they appear to be smart and successfull. Their aggressive information campaign, displaying themselves as the misunderstood victim and generous reliever, seems to really cath up with people.
By first selectively, and against their own stated intentions, eliminating any opposition to Assad that can muster a hint of legitimacy or who are not crazy fundamentalists, Russia is, smartly, putting the so called West into the corner of having to defeat the last remaining Assad opposition, or be seen as supporting ISIS.
Furthermore, while several (in hindsight) ridiculously looking western views about middle eastern peoples' will / capability to live in "democratic, open, even liberal" societies have been truely shattered, it is an equally rose-coloured dream that five years ago only a few foreign sponsored, die-hard fanatics attacked the common syrien peoples peacefull life, causing a civil war. But that dream, again, seems to have caught on.
There was, obviously, a very wide disconsent in the population. Wich government forces at some point decided to remove with force. Which really didn't go down well. Unfortunately, in those instanes, and regions, the ones you least want to advance are the ones most determined, organized and funded.
Besides all of the above, Turkey, in all of this, appears to follow yet another completely different path then either the Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, Assad axis, or the so called West.
That said, if one actually cares to look for it instead of just listening for the loudest shouting carnival barker, it becomes clear that "western capitals" have repeatedly critiziezed Turkey for attacks on kurdish forces. Most recently Washington just yesterday.
I scrambled its map:
