Like It or Not, America and Russia Need to Cooperate in Syria

Like It or Not, America and Russia Need to Cooperate in Syria

Dmitri Trenin
Op-Ed September 17, 2015 National Interest  |  http://carnegie.ru/2015/09/17/like-it-or-not-america-and-russia-need-to-cooperate-in-syria/ihuf?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRogsqnNZKXonjHpfsX57uQsW6Sg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YUET8J0aPyQAgobGp5I5FEIQ7XYTLB2t60MWA%3D%3D

The world powers agree that the Islamic State must be defeated, even though they disagree on how to do it. Now Washington is angry with the Russian activism in Syria, but a degree of coordination is advisable.

Many outside observers view the Russian military buildup in Syria as a way for President Putin to force his way through to the negotiating table with Barack Obama ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. There is some truth to that. To be effective, diplomacy should be backed by facts on the ground, and Moscow is busy creating them—in the face of mounting U.S. concerns. However, coercive diplomacy is just another form of diplomacy.http://carnegie.ru/2015/09/17/like-it-or-not-america-and-russia-need-to-cooperate-in-syria/ihuf?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRogsqnNZKXonjHpfsX57uQsW6Sg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YUET8J0aPyQAgobGp5I5FEIQ7XYTLB2t60MWA%3D%3D