There is so far no indication that the international community is in a position to turn a blind eye to the atrocities that Russia is committing by carrying out airstrikes on Aleppo.

The continuation of the miseries of Syrian people is a result of two interrelated factors: The military intervention of Russia on one hand and the hesitancy of the western countries to help stop casualties in Aleppo on the other hand.

Since its military intervention in Syria a year ago, Russia has played a double game. It has appeared to go along with the international effort to bring about a political settlement while simultaneously it has worked meticulously to decide the crisis on the battlefield.

Russia would not have launched its military intervention to prop up the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad last year were it not for the American tacit complicity. At the time, the American administration saw Daesh rather than Assad as the imminent threat that should be wiped out.

It is hard to avoid the realization that the American continuous support for Israel is not up for a president to manipulate.

Ankara’s changing policy toward the Syrian crisis has left everybody surprised. After the botched coup attempt in Turkey, Ankara is opting for a new approach regardless of how it is going to affect the Syrian revolution.

Observers suspect that the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey may lay the groundwork for a turnabout in Turkey’s position on the Syrian issue.

While many in the Arab world think that the America’s inaction in Syria is a proof that Washington has acted in bad faith, I opt for a different explanation. I argue that the failure of the United States to help salvage the Syrian people is a function of a broader strategic miscalculation.

POLITICAL analysts have started speculating the possible outcome of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s upcoming visit to Russia on Tuesday to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest proposal for a closer cooperation between the United States and Russia against terrorists in Syria may run the risk of falling into a Russian trap.