Russia and Syria: No Good Options

WASHINGTON — Russia has shipped advanced anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar Assad, U.S. officials said Thursday.

What precisely would get the Russians to "come around" and favor deposing their long-time ally? I can't say for sure. Maybe nothing. Maybe an explanation of how a Syria run by Islamists would be in their long term interest. Maybe a really large number of bribes and the promise of visa-free travel. But what I know, what anyone who has paid even passing attention to Russian foreign policy over the past decade ought to know, is that the Russians will not respond favorably to a campaign of intimidation in which they get nothing and give up everything.

Following up on the earlier report that Israel had warned the US that Russia was preparing to sell "advanced" military equipment to Syria (in False Flag Broken Telephone fashion), it was only a matter of time before the new US Secretary of State voiced his indignation over a development whereby someone else was providing arms to a conflict country's government, instead of the US providing its own weapons to said country's Al Qaeda-assisted rebel forces.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that will be highly unpopular in Moscow, not to mention Damascus.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The United States and Saudi Arabia on Monday presented a united front to Iran and Syria. They warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that they will boost support to rebels fighting to oust him unless he steps down and put Iran’s leadership on notice that time is running out for a diplomatic resolution to concerns about its nuclear program.

Let's call it what it is: a proxy war. Ben Brumfield of CNN reported that U.S. troops arrived in Turkey today to man Patriot missile systems. The systems themselves are officially NATO property, but the people with the finger on the trigger are decidedly American. From Brumfield's report:

Russia has invited the head of the main Syrian opposition for talks.