Russia is back at the center of the Middle East geostrategic game, and its “calculated” intervention in Syria resulted in a major diplomatic shakeup, Shlomo Ben-Ami writes for Project Syndicate. Ben-Ami believes Russia’s “limited” intervention in Syria succeeded in creating the “deadlock” required for a more serious engagement in peace talks, compared to the US decision not to intervene meaningfully. Caveating his statements with noting that peace is “not yet around the corner,” Ben-Ami says one political settlement could be “a federal system,” something which Moscow has championed. Most importantly, Russia “has consolidated its position as a power to be reckoned with in the Middle East.”