might be because the Russians fought the jihadists while we armed them
Every player in the Middle East has worked with, and supplied arms to terrorists. Juan McCain and the clowns played their parts according to the previous administration’s desire to destabilize the region, but there were no good players in the region. Every faction other than the Kurds have played false and continue to do so.
If you think the Russians hands are not stained with blood, both evil and innocent, in all this, you are either ignorant or a troll. They do, however, have national interests at stake, and they have killed bad guys. Our interest has never been proven or pure. We let tens of thousands be slaughtered while vilifying a dictatorship that never approached that type of violence.
Now another dictator, under the aegis of NATO, is attacking the only honorable fighters in the region and we, with the exception of some SOF operators, do little to assist. The Russians really don’t care beyond keeping a beachhead and maintaining power. It’s a win any way for them and a disaster for the US.
While many on the right cheer the end of Obama and his Arab Spring, the quagmire is far from over. The only honorable path out is to ally with the Kurds and allow them ownership of the lands soaked with their blood; however, I’m not sure even Trump will go that far.