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.
The agreement between Ankara and Moscow has introduced Russia to the region, which means not only has the Syrian government regained control over some of the land it lost nearly seven years ago, but also Turkey and Russia have now got footholds in places that they have never controlled before.
Making use of it being trusted by Turkey, Syria and the Kurds, Russia will play at least three roles in the north of Syria, as a protector of Kurds from further attack, a coordinator of Turkey in its building of a safe zone, and a supporter of the Syrian government to resume its sovereignty.
In the meantime, the US administration has also found itself a decent excuse to bring its army home to avoid it being implicated in any further humanitarian crises that are likely to happen in the region.
The Kurds should draw the lesson from their defeat that power and interests remain the foundation for international games.
Although it is too early to predict that the Syrian war will come to an end, one thing is certain as the fate of Kurds indicates that all small powers and fractions that took the initiative to start the civil war in the country eight years ago, with the US' backing, will have to swallow a bitter failure now the US has withdrawn its forces.
