Putin’s Orthodox Christmas Visit To Damascus Plays Up Assad’s Syria As Enclave Of Peace, While Rest Of Middle East Burns – OpEd

By Scott Ritter*

Russian leader Vladimir Putin made a surprise Christmas visit to Syria, where he met with the country’s president, Bashar Assad. The tranquility of their meeting was in sharp contrast to the hell breaking out in neighboring Iraq.

The unannounced visit to Syria, where Putin also delivered a Christmas...