Russia Begins Military Campaign in SyriaIn late September, the Syrian Civil War took yet another curious turn when Russia announced that they would interfere militarily via a series of airstrikes.

In late September, the Syrian Civil War took yet another curious turn whenRussiaannounced that they would interfere militarily via a series of airstrikes. With Russia assisting the Syrian regime by supplying weapons to the army, this escalation sounded alarms to the Syrian opposition, the United States, andGCCcountries alike. The initial operation was meant to target extremist organizations, notably ISIS and Al Qaeda's Jabhat Al Nusra, but reckless airstrikes that hit civilian targets as well as Western-backed opposition targets have caused their American counterparts to raise a few eyebrows. That said, the reaction didn't comprise of urging Russia to stop the airstrikes, but to be more careful.

It seems that the regional and global stakeholders in the Syrian Civil War are hoping to wrap things up soon and end up with a political solution. All eyes are on the upcoming talks in Vienna for a resolution. A surprise inclusion in the same was Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. Though some opposed Zarif's presence there, it seemed that all parties agreed that having multilateral talks that are inclusive as possible would create a lasting resolution for the current conflict.