Mission Impossible

For Russia, the Middle Eastern map is fine as it stands, a little counter-revolutionary tinkering is all that’s needed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not redefine Middle Eastern boundaries, and he doesn’t want to. The map of the Middle East won’t be redrawn any time soon. The great powers, Russia and the United States, have neither the power nor the desire to try, and China is also wisely steering clear of such ambitions. The Europeans view the region almost entirely in terms of immigration and terrorism. When they make their presence felt, it’s for defensive reasons. Rather than curing the disease, the idea is to keep it from spreading, either with the carrot of funding to Turkey or the stick of artillery fire (mostly by the French and British) against Islamic State (IS).