How a second Trump term could shift Russia’s stance on Syria
Bahrain, UAE peace deals compel Palestinian rethink on strategy.
"Cautious optimism" for Syria deal if Trump wins
Russian President Vladimir Putin has low expectations for US-Russia relations no matter who wins the US presidential election, according to Max Suchkov in a new Al-Monitor podcast.
There is a view, however, that a second term for US President Donald Trump could change US-Russia diplomacy. In the Middle East, that could leave open the possibility of a deal on a "soft phased transition" to a successor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (not unlike the scenario we wrote about here in 2012).
Putin’s not going to walk away from Assad for nothing, of course. Assad may be an "uneasy partner," as Suchkov explains, but Putin has shown he sticks by his allies, whatever the "reputational risk," as long as Russia’s interests are served.
