U.S.-Russian cooperation working on ground in Syria

As the multi-sided war in Syria grinds on, cynicism about the future is more than justified. Arguably, America has failed time and again to secure its objectives and follow through on its intentions in its halting, lurching, incomplete intervention.
The United States allowed Russia to establish itself as a major military and diplomatic player in the Mideast; allowed Iran unprecedented reach and control across the fertile crescent, clear to the Mediterranean coast via Lebanon, and allowed the Isl