Our indefatigable outgoing Secretary of State John F. Kerry is engaged in a furious if implausible diplomatic effort to strike a deal with Russia to end the siege of Aleppo. The State Department is not advertising Kerry’s quiet mission, following the quick collapse of the last U.S.-Russia cease-fire agreement he struck. In exchange, the Assad regime and Russia would end the siege and allow aid to flow. Also, there’s a dispute over whether the Assad regime will determine who governs eastern Aleppo if the cease-fire holds. Trump seems to agree with Putin that the Syrian opposition can’t be trusted and that Assad remaining in power is better than the alternative.

Source: Washington Post November 28, 2016 00:36 UTC