Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, in 2005. Pool photo by Sergei Chirikov
Would Russia Help Oust Assad? -- New York Times
Efforts to end the Syrian government’s bloody repression of its opponents have increasingly come down to a standoff between the West and Russia with Russia sending defensive missile systems and helicopters and C.I.A. officers operating in southern Turkey, helping direct arms to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
Is there a way that Russia can be persuaded to abandon Assad?
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
Annan gambles Syria’s future on Putin -- Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
The West lags behind on Syria -- Washington Post editorial
Morsi and the Egyptian military’s role -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Israel Steps Cautiously After Islamist Win in Egypt -- Joshua Mitnick, Wall Street Journal
Egypt's Powerless New Head of State -- Ulrike Putz, Spiegel Online
The Middle East: What a tangled web we are weaving -- Abdullah Al Shayji, Special to Gulf News
The Obama Retreat -- Jamie Fly, Lee Smith and William Kristol, Weekly Standard
What the Troops Did in Afghanistan -- Max Boot, Wall Street Journal
India: which way will the ‘swing state’ swing? -- Sandy Gordon, ANU/EastAsiaForum
Coup fears return to Pakistan -- Anita Joshua, The Hindu
In Paraguay, Democracy’s All-Too-Speedy Trial -- Simon Romero, New York Times
Why more nuclear weapons is not the answer -- Tom Mahnken, Shadow Government/Foreign Policy
Grading the U.S. Rebalance -- Richard Weitz, The Diplomat
Why are the French pushing hard for European banking union? Because they know they're next -- Leigh Thomas, Independent.ie