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Putin Is the New King of Syria
(Wall Street Journal) Jonathan Spyer - The Turkish offensive in northern Syria continues but has made little progress, as the U.S. is extricating its forces and moving them to the safety of Iraqi Kurdistan. Vladimir Putin is now the indispensable strategic arbiter in Syria. The Assad regime owes its survival to Moscow's air intervention in September 2015. Moscow has now co-opted important commanders within the Syrian security forces. Russia also has its own forces embedded in the Syrian Arab Army, notably in the Fifth Assault Corps. With the Americans leaving, de facto U.S. control of the skies of eastern Syria will also end. If Israel wishes to continue its clandestine war against Iranian weapons transfers and infrastructure-building in Syria, it will be able to do so only with Russian permission. Assad, the Kurds, Turkey and Israel all now depend on Moscow's approval to advance their interests in Syria. The writer is director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.