Michael Weiss is a senior editor at the Daily Beast and co-author of the book "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror". He analyses Russian President Vladimir Putin's aims in Syria.
"I think Vladimir Putin is trying to build his own coalition", Weiss told FRANCE 24's Armen Georgian. "He has come out and said the United States has a very ambivalent and ambiguous policy in Syria - that much is actually true. He has backed the regime of Bashar al-Assad to the hilt from day one, he has not tried to negotiate a diplomatic settlement or political transition. Now, it’s essentially Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah versus the United States-led coalition".
Weiss adds that "Putin’s style, if you like, in geopolitical brinkmanship is [to] make a fait accompli, and then force your enemy, namely the West, namely the United States, to accede to it. And that’s exactly what’s happening now".
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