The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov continue a laborious series of discussions regarding Syria but, here, it is worth considering the game of 'chess' being played by Russia. The Kurds and Turkey are well established on the game board although not in the forefront. The future of Turkey in Europe is very weak (One could suggest, humorously, that the future of all countries in Europe is quite weak) but Russia's desire for a strong arm extending down to the Mediterranean, requires tokens of friendship towards Turkey and thus, temporarily, Syria, while ignoring the Kurds. The EU should never imagine Turkey as a part of Europe. For such an extended influence it would be wise to remember the over-extended Roman Empire ... advice, obviously, equally applicable to Russia.
A complicated scenario, but who are the chess masters?
