Russia’s Buildup in Syria May Thwart Idea of Safe Haven

For weeks Ankara and Washington have been discussing establishing a safe haven in northern Syria to shield civilians and rebels alike from relentless Syrian government airstrikes.

But with advanced Russian combat warplanes now present in the country all bets are off whether a such a zone will be established at all, analysts say.

Without a safe haven there are likely to be further surges of refugees fleeing into Turkey and Europe.

Struggling to cope with an estimated 2 million Syrian refugees, Turkey has long campaigned for a “no-fly zone” in northern Syria to stem the tide of displaced civilians trying to escape the four-year-long civil tearing its southern neighbor apart.

With Russia engaged in a military buildup in Syria to shore up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad doubts are growing about whether a buffer zone will in fact be established.

… 

“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, a Washington-based think tank.

“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 [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to spell out the new rules of the game,” Schanzer added.

… 

Read the full article here.