THANKS, UR!:

Twenty percent of the Syrian people support the current regime, whereas the majority, representing 50 percent, want radical change to the present system.

These words did not appear in a Syrian opposition outlet, but the international propaganda arm of the Kremlin, RT. Their author, a Moscow-based political analyst, is a frequent critic of Russia's ally Bashar al-Assad, although always careful to emphasize the Syrian president's legitimacy.

This raises the question: Does Rami Shaer's critical commentary shed light on Russia's frustrations with Assad? At least one Russian scholar, Vitali Naumkin, has publicly wondered whether Shaer was channeling "a message from the Kremlin" through his work.

Shaer writes for the ultranationalist Russian broadsheet Zavtra. From there his articles are translated into Arabic and posted on RT, giving them the appearance of an official imprimatur. Strengthening this impression, the author's criticisms of Damascus match those raised by Russian diplomats and media reports, and dovetail with key features of Russia's Syria strategy. Shaer's principal target is Assad's maximalism: the latter's refusal to entertain peace negotiations requiring minor concessions, his treatment of all opponents as terrorists and his inflammatory rhetoric. Shaer argues that these tendencies run counter to Russian efforts to wrap up the war with a U.N.-facilitated settlement, thereby keeping Syria in a state of miserable limbo. Left unsaid is that Assad's intransigence prevents Moscow from reaping the full economic and political benefits of its brutal military campaign.

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