[Tailgunner Joe]

Russia will abandon Assad like they did Kadaffy, and for the same reasons. Syria will cause Russia more trouble than it's worth.

[cripplecreek]

Support for anyone there will backfire.

[Navy Patriot]

I would suspect that while Russia AND China AND at least three temporary members of the Security Council hold and continue to exercise the veto, the UN and International Law will have to accept the Assad government as the only legal and legitimate government of Syria. Any other nation supporting the rebellion is in violation of both those bodies of law and thus commits an act of war.

The Saudi camel jockeys have a surprise coming if they cross Russia and commit an act of war in Syria.

Russia would like nothing more than putting a serious uncooperative competitor's oil fields out of production while securing the Muslime portion of the Med oil and gas.

[Sudetenland]

"Russia's Support for Assad Will Backfire"

I think not. I think Putin is far smarter than Obama-Hilary. He was right when he took Obama to the tool shed over our incoherent ME policies and the fact that in Syria, as in Libya and Egypt, we don't know who the opposition is.

Like in Egypt, we may rid Syria of Assad only to get some radical Muslim elected.

As we should have done over the entire "Arab Spring," we need to keep our noses out of it.

[dfwgator]

There are no permanent allies, only permanent interests.

[justa-hairyape]

They have been saying this for a few months now. No way Russia will abandon 10’s of thousands of Russians living in Syria. When they start mass evacuations, then maybe this pipe dream will finally have some truth.

[freedomfiter2]

Letting the Islamofascists take over would also backfire.

[katana]

Syria is a much more strategically important puzzle piece than Libya ever was. That being said, it is possible they may back off and let Assad hang, but I doubt it. What they understand that somehow escapes American policy makers is that when you have and then abandon a long time partner and client, no matter how sorry you are to be associated with them, it reverberates and shows you are not reliable to other existing and potential partners.

The Russians (and Soviets) and the Baath Party / Assad family / Alawi tribe run Syrian government have been in bed together for over fifty years now. And with Obama and the EU (and Russia's ancient enemy the Turks) lining up with the Muslim Brotherhood opposition all the old Cold War instincts are kicking in. I think we are in for a very dangerous patch that could lead to 1914 style miscalculations.