President of France François Hollande and President of Russia Vladimir Putin Prensa Internacional via ZUMA Wire

Why Putin Makes a Bad Ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in the Syrian conflict has been welcomed by some as a moment for Russia to “come in from the cold," with the US and France courting him as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State. Unfortunately, this is wishful thinking.

STANFORD – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in the Syrian conflict has been welcomed by some as a moment for the Kremlin to “come in from the cold.” Russia’s conflict with the Islamic State, the argument goes, has aligned the country’s interests with those of the West. Even Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane does not seem not to have deflated this optimism.

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