US and Russian defence ministers have held their first talks in more than a year, to discuss the conflict in Syria.The phone call follows signs that Moscow is taking a more active role in the conflict, and American concern over the extent of the plans.Meanwhile, four Russian fighter jets have arrived at an airfield near the Syrian city of Latakia, the US said. The US and Russia have disagreed sharply on Syria’s bloody civil war and the role of President Bashar al-Assad. While Moscow has backed the Syrian government, the US sees the removal of President Assad as essential to resolving the conflict.Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter discussed with Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu how their two sides could avoid accidentally clashing on the ground, the Pentagon said. The US is still singing a tough tune on Russia’s involvement in Syria, but has realized that it is futile to try to stop Russia from coming to the aid of its long time ally. Now the conversation has shifted to the defence chiefs exploring ways to avoid any accidental military conflict between the US and Russia in Syria. With the opening of this channel of communication, even John Kerry, the US’s Secretary of State, has adopted a more flexible stance on Russia by claiming that the US and Russia have “the same goals” in Syria when it comes to destroying the Islamic State (IS) and ensuring a united, peaceful Syria. This belated acknowledgement that Russia has a crucial role to play in the future direction of Syria due to its longstanding relationship and therefore must be included in the process is a step in the right direction. However it remains unlikely that the US and its allies will ever properly converge with Russia, as the latter remains the primary bulwark against the US’s unilateral designs for regime change.The Syrian civil war started in 2011 in the heat of the Arab Spring, when the US and its allies realized an ideal opportunity to use the overall politically charged climate to their advantage and fund proxies against Middle Eastern rulers that were a constant thorn in their side. Thus fell Gaddafi in Libya, hunted down by NATO airstrikes and an assortment of US-funded militias. A similar fate was predicted for Bashar al-Assad of Syria. However, after the disaster meted out in a still reeling Libya by short-sighted western intervention, Russia doubled down on its commitment to Syria and has constantly supported al-Assad’s regime to prevent a fatal collapse. By coming to its rescue, Syria has become the site for Russia to assert its power and stand up to the US after two decades of being undermined. The US’s stance in Syria has been compromised by the emergence of the global menace Islamic State (IS), especially as the militias funded by the US are themselves Islamist in nature and do not prioritize fighting IS. Defeating IS has become a critical necessity and the sole force fighting IS in Syria remains al-Assad’s regime; thus Russia’s decision to bolster it does not deserve to be questioned. The only way to ensure a stable Syria is to keep all stakeholders, including al-Assad, together in the struggle against IS.
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