When I think about Syria and Libya, I sometimes think that every disaster in Russia is made to look like a success. In the US, every success is made to look like a disaster.

While Putin was in charge of the KGB while they were still doing things that would make Assad smile, Putin is still a pragmatist. He understands that Russia is no longer the USSR and, even though they still have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, they no longer wield the power and influence they once did. While Syria (and much of the Middle East and Africa) are politically largely a product of Russian/American competition during the Cold War, Russia knows that to unconditionally back Assad and his Syrian regime will have consequences