The breakthrough in talks with Iran over the (alleged) denuclearisation of the country has further cemented the diplomatic coordination between Russia and the United States. Both Obama and Putin view the defusing of certain geopolitical frictions as a public good: the Democrats are assured of work towards stability in the Syrian civil war.
News of the announcement that diplomatic talks between the Assad regime and the mainstream opposition will commence on the 22nd January is a surprise. Both parties are squeezed by the continual stalemate in the country. Both parties are alarmed at the rise of Islamist militias, peopled by foreign jihadists, that are achieving greater military success on the battlefield.
After atrocities and devastation, the picture of a post-Assad and more pluralistic regime is coming into play. The secular minorities fear the monad of Islamism and would prefer the devil they know. Yet there is no going back to the repressive Ba'athist dictatorship. The announcement of the dates will lead to more fighting as both sides jostle for position: some jihadist groups may peel off, desirous of a place at the table.
A truism: faced with a greater threat of instability and Al-Qaeda with power, stakeholders in the Middle East have found that their cause is not served by chaos. Even Saudi Arabia and Israel serve as silent observers at this table: waiting to see what sort of accommodation is achieved.