While Moscow exhibits its military power in Syria, Washington displays its failure to control it; that is what most people think all across the globe.

However, a U.S. department official declares that it is an indication that the Syria policy of America has worked successfully.   The inaugural airstrikes on Wednesday by Russia compromised several days of talk between Obama and Putin regarding cooperation in the issue. It is the outcome of a one month buildup in the western airbase of Latakia. The Pentagon authorities fumed at a call from the Russians to ground their own war planes despite the fact that they aimed at an area further the western side.

One day after the Pentagon discussed about deconflicting the air missions, the Russia declared that it would proceed its own air strikes. Practically 250,000 people, including about 12,000 children were killed, ever since the conflict broke out in Syria in 2011.

Putin started his crusade in Syria in September that has reverberated all throughout the region.   Michael Ratney, the special envoy for Syria says that even as Russia started launching cruise missiles directly into the city of Homs in Syria from the Caspian Sea. ISIS does not have a large presence in Homs. Russia also has vessels that could have done the same attacks 93 miles from the Syrian shores. 

America sees this move as an attempt to support the Assad regime and emasculate the United States at the same time. It is Putin’s way of showcasing on a global stage that he has a wide reach, but America is not responding. 

In a private meeting, the shocked Syrian-American advocates were told that the airstrikes on Syria mean that the U.S. policy is effective. The U.S. believes that Putin would not need to provide assistance to Assad if America did not emasculated him. The Russian involvement is a positive sign for the U.S. policy on Syria.   This remark in fact angered many of the Syrian-American supporters and humanitarian advocates present at the meeting with Ratney. But, the U.S. has firmly declined to come between the military in Syria and the Assad regime. This is in spite of the claim of Obama about a “red line” for the Syrian government and its usage of chemical weapons. 

In a congressional mandated system, the Pentagon will train only the Syrian rebels who combat against the ISIS and not the Assad.   When asked what the US was doing to protect the citizens from the aerial attacks caused by the Assad regime. The special envoy answered that, basically, the aerial assault is now the problem of Russia. 

Russia is making a terrible mistake by intervening in its anti-ISIS strategy. If Russians are showing up to strengthen the regime, they must use their power to stop the attacks on civilians. Because when Putin was asked of his true intentions after sending about 30 warplanes to Latakia, he confirmed that the attacks were to bolster Assad as opposed to eradicate the ISIS.  But so far, the Russia’s policy seems to be directed primarily at American-backed militants, and not the ISIS rebels. While the US officials saw this as being a good sign, they publicly declared that they were confused by the intentions of the Russians. 

The issue now facing Obama is whether or not he will cut his losses in Syria, an intervention he has never wanted in the first place, and just leave Russia holding the bag. Speculation ran rife that Obama will turn to a diplomatic agreement, as his recent speech to the United Nations mentioned something about a managed transition in Syria to a comprehensive post-Assad administration.