Russia now playing three roles in Syria

Editor's Note: Turkey suspended its military action in the north of Syria last week. Ma Xiaolin, a researcher in Middle East studies of Zhejiang International Studies University, commented in his column for Beijing Youth Daily:

The Syrian government's support of the agreement reached by Turkey and Russia has endowed the Russian military's entering and control of the north border zone in Syria with legitimacy.

Ironically, the Kurds immediately lost their land after its anti-terrorism "ally", the United States, withdrew its troops from the region, and it is Turkey, a NATO ally of the US, along with the Syrian government army that has quickly filled the vacancy left by the US through a controversial military action in a sovereign state.