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Obama, Putin Acknowledge Limits of Power

The Russian initiative concerning Syria gives the international community a little breathing room to effect a realistic resolution to the conflict.
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen,  Northern Ireland June 17, 2013.   REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque   (NORTHERN IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10R8R

A breathing space is now available to think clearly and to act, as much as possible, responsibly. The time frame that the Russian initiative has introduced, undoubtedly, constitutes an opportunity to bring about a possible resolution of the Syrian crisis that has long eluded the international community.

Whether this was prompted by a possible military strike against Syria that US President Barack Obama planned but without sufficient congressional and public support, and whether Russia also realized that it is no longer the superpower that the Soviet Union was, it seems that this realistic awareness from both Obama and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, has provided an opening for the resumption of diplomacy and a preliminary meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday, Sept. 12.

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