PhotoPresident Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey are major players on opposite sides of the Syrian civil war. Mr. Putin has provided the crucial military support that is keeping Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, in power; Mr. Erdogan has helped arm opposition groups seeking Mr. Assad’s overthrow. Then over the weekend, fighting escalated when rebel forces and their jihadist allies — notably the Nusra Front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda — broke the monthlong siege. Mr. Putin has been a duplicitous partner, failing to fulfill previous commitments. Mr. Assad’s army and its Russian allies closed the last access roads to the rebel-held eastern sector of Aleppo in July.

Source: New York Times August 11, 2016 07:18 UTC