US News and World Report quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof on President Barack Obama’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin:
Monday’s meeting could yield further “amazing results” as the two leaders come together to perhaps find some agreement at least on reining in Assad’s brutal tactics.But, says Hof, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, Putin’s aim is to “reintroduce his client – Assad – to polite society.””ISIL’s continued existence serves this purpose,” he says. “It is a purpose that transcends Syria. I am not optimistic that Mr. Putin will put anything on the table with which Mr. Obama can work.”