Russia moving in under the pretense of ridding the region of ISIS is like the Mafia moving to your neighborhood under the pretense of removing a violent street gang, then setting up a permanent base there to do Mob “business”.
Russia will grow wealthier, more powerful, more aggressive in their overall expansionist agenda (Eastern Europe, eventually elsewhere), and much more of a threat to the US and its allies throughout the region and the world.
Sure it’s great IF they actually do get rid of ISIS (we shall see). But having a country like Russia step in and gain such huge strategic advantage over the US and it’s allies is really nothing we should be cheering about.
If Obama was serious about wanting to take out ISIS, which I don’t believe he ever was—I think him and Putin are actually in cahoots on this whole thing despite his and Kerry’s moans and groans about it, it might not ever have come to this, although Russia would likely have come up with some other rationale or excuse for moving into Syria and taking control of it, and ultimately the entire Middle East. Makes me wonder if ISIS wasn’t a KGB-like invention of the Russians.
Putin’s aim will be towards the south — he saw NATO rattling a sword and he now wants to return to what Russia has been focused on since 1453 — recapturing Constantinople