Bashar al-Assad doesn’t need a Russian shelter. Yet.

On the Syrian President’s Possible Motives for Visiting Russia The Syrian President’s surprise visit to Moscow on October 21, 2015 and his talks with Vladimir Putin have triggered an avalanche of rumours. The official statements after the meeting did little to clear things up. It thus makes sense to consider several possible scenarios. Scenario one: Bashar al-Assad came to ask for additional military aid. This theory is reinforced by the fact that the government’s military offensive...