Sometimes geography gets in the way of power politics. Just when you thought that Ukraine was miles away from Syria, bang -- you find out that they're actually bordering each other. Confused? I bet you are. But here's the deal: the civil war in Ukraine, which most sensible people tend to classify these days as a direct stand-off between Russia and the U.S., is now having a direct impact on the conflict in Syria. The so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) -- it's better to keep it in quotation marks and add "so-called," so as not to give these terrorists legitimacy -- has emerged as a force that has created a so-called caliphate and vows to spread its borders way beyond Syria and Iraq, where it is currently operating.
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Former Kremlin adviser says Obama may be ready to deal with Putin on ISIS
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Nekrassov: The crises in Ukraine and Syria are closely linked
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Nekrassov: Moscow thinks Obama is telling the Kremlin that it needs help on ISIS
Russian President @placeholder has his own plan for Syria.
Well, it just so happens that sorting out the mess in eastern @placeholder is Putin's personal project -- just like Syria was last year.