Rays of Light in the Middle East?

August 11, 2015 by Graham E. Fuller • Blog • http://grahamefuller.com/rays-of-light-in-the-middle-east/
Rays of Light in the Middle East?
Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com)
11 August 2015
It is risky to try to discern longer range trends in the Middle East based on a few short term developments. Nonetheless, I can’t resist finding some small shards for cautious optimism in the events of the past few weeks.
-Syria: Washington’s love-hate relationship with Moscow depends on the geography: in Europe it is ideological and poisonous, in the Middle East it seems pragmatic and potentially productive. Lately John Kerry (who has shown himself to be far superior to his predecessor Hillary Clinton) has been working to find some common ground with canny Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Syria is the central topic, but the implications and regional fall-out potentially extend far beyond Syria.