Even this small mercy, in the context of a war that has taken half-a-million lives, was too much for the Russians. Threatening a veto, Vladimir Putin's Government insisted on prior ``guarantees'' that besieged Islamist opposition fighters would abide by any ceasefire. Russia's transparent attempt to buy time, in the hope that Assad's forces will finally overrun Ghouta, left it wholly isolated. Even China, which typically follows Moscow on international security issues, kept its head down. If they really want to deter Russian sponsorship of Assad's war, it is the clear responsibility of the US and the European allies to apply the sort of asymmetric pressure Putin understands.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 26, 2018 14:15 UTC