Slouching towards multilateralism

The tragic crisis in Syria is giving the world a glimpse of what a multilateral future might look like. Instead of going it alone, the United States has decided to compromise and work with other stakeholders in the international system.

The difference between dropping and not dropping bombs on Syria is not just the difference between the merits of war and diplomacy. Rather it's the first glimpse of a new world order, in which the US has an important role to play, but doesn't always get things its way, especially when the leadership lacks support at home and abroad.

It was far from US President Barack Obama's finest moment, but he was far-sighted enough to put a bad decision on hold, with the knowledge that flip-flops and lousy optics don't matter if he gets the right fix for the problem in the long run. He proved he's still got game; caught flat-footed in a corner, he threw the ball to Russian President Vladimir Putin.