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.