As Russia claims its lead in the Syrian conflict, even foraying into Turkish airspace, Western diplomats have been forced back to the drawing board, knocked off balance by Moscow’s whirlwind performance at the United Nations' 70th General Assembly.

As the greatest geopolitical show on earth, Russian President Vladimir Putin did well to choose the General Assembly to officially launch his Syria offensive. In a cleverly timed and expertly executed performance at the annual summit, Russia both humiliated and courted its Western rivals, as Putin’s first address to the assembly in 10 years inaugurated what some diplomats have called Russia’s “hijacking” of the Syrian conflict.

Western officials, while expecting Syria to dominate the summit, were thrown off balance as the Russians rolled out their simultaneously diplomatic and military offensive, not only taking the reins on Syria but also claiming the moral high ground in both fighting Islamist terrorists and dealing with the Arab world.

Russia has stressed its role as a legitimate party in Syria, while lambasting the West for intervening “uninvited.” In an almost paternalistic moment during Putin’s speech, the Russian leader jabbed foreign powers over their actions in Libya and Iraq. "I cannot help asking those who have forced that situation: Do you realize what you have done?" he said. “We should all remember what our past has taught us.”