Putin Just Created ‘New Rules of the Game’ in Syria

Russia began bombing Syrian rebels apparently unaffiliated with ISIS on Wednesday, in a major escalation of the 54-month war that has the US searching for answers.

The bombing campaign “completely bypasses every bit of legitimate discussion we've had with them so far,” a defense official told Politico.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama had reportedly agreed about fighting ISIS and opening lines of communication between their militaries to prevent any accidental conflict.

But on Wednesday, the Russians gave the US very little notice before bombing rebel groups that are fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a close ally of Russia.

In essence, Russia's direct entrance into the war on Assad's side guarantees even more chaos.

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“All bets are off for any and all parties that had hoped for measures to restrain Assad's slaughter in Syria,” said Jonathan Schanzer, a Mideast expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Voice of America.

“This includes the Turks, who had hoped for a safe zone. With Russian warplanes in the sky and other assets on the ground, Assad has insurance he has not had since the war broke out. Assad's adversaries will now have to wait for Vladimir Putin to spell out the new rules of the game,” Schanzer added.

Boris Zilberman, a Middle East and Russia expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Business Insider that “Russian intervention in Syria has been and will continue to be about two things: Propping up their client – Bashar Al-Assad and expanding their military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and expanding Russian influence and power projection in the Middle East.”

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