NEWSWATCH: “Russia wants U.S. military out of Syria. But it still needs U.S. to help bring peace.” – Christian Science Monitor/Fred Weir

“… Analysts say that Moscow was serious when it hinted that it would strike back against U.S. warships in the Mediterranean or other launch platforms if any Russian lives were endangered by U.S. missiles. But … they say that the exchange of explosive declarations last week turned out to be mostly theater. Kremlin-connected analysts say that US and Russian military ‘deconfliction’ teams … quietly coordinating on the ground in Syria for months worked together to ensure … Russian air defenses would be switched off that night and no cruise missile trajectories came near any Russians. * * * … The larger question about Syria is whether Russia and the U.S. can cooperate in the endgame and bring a lasting political settlement to the brutal, seven-year-long civil war. Experts say that the Russian-led ‘Astana Process,’ so named for the Kazakhstan capital where the talks have been held, is not going well. …”

Click here for: “Russia wants U.S. military out of Syria. But it still needs U.S. to help bring peace. Russian and U.S.-allied forces avoided conflict during Friday’s airstrikes on alleged Syrian chemical weapon sites. But Moscow sees the U.S.’s ongoing involvement in Syria as nothing more than spoiler. Still, analysts say, Russia needs the U.S. to help diplomatically.” – Christian Science Monitor/Fred Weir