Syria's future will be decided on the battlefield, not in Geneva, Bangkok-based geopolitical analyst Toni Cartalucci believes; according to the analyst, "peace talks" are yet another attempt to derail Syrian-Russian efforts to restore order to Syria.






Washington, NATO and their Gulf allies still expect Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to�step down�and a pro-Western client regime installed in�its place, Bangkok-based geopolitical analyst Toni Cartalucci emphasizes.
"The West, and the United States in�particular, has attempted to�take on�a more conciliatory tone as�of late. And despite�actually not really saying so, US Secretary of�State John Kerry attempted to�impress upon�the world that 'regime change' was no longer in�the cards. Of course, such statements are still followed by�US expectations that President Assad will step down," Cartalucci writes in�his recent article for�New Eastern Outlook.




Meanwhile, Washington's allies have made repeated attempts to�disrupt the Russo-Syrian advance.

On November 24, a Turkish F-16 shot down�a Russian Su-24 in�Syrian airspace; Israel repeatedly conducted airstrikes in�and around�Damascus purportedly in�order to�provoke Syria into�direct conflict.

In December 2015, Saudi Arabia held a "Syrian opposition meeting" that brought together various Islamist groups including influential al-Qaeda affiliates.

There is a lot of�controversy surrounding the upcoming peace negotiations. The question regarding what forces should represent the opposition still remains unanswered.

The opposition and its principal backer in�the region, Saudi Arabia, insist that Bashar al-Assad should step down�as part of "political transition," Philip H. Gordon, a former White House adviser on�Syria and now a fellow at�the Council on�Foreign Relations told The New York Times.

"They need some clarity on�Assad before�they are willing to�de-escalate the conflict or negotiate interim steps," Gordon said.

Russia and Iran, in�their turn propose to�add groups which represent a broader section of�Syrian society, including certain Kurdish representatives.
Ahead of�the Geneva talks, Washington and its allies in�the region have increased their military activities in�Syria. At the same time, with�the support of�the Russian Air Force, the Syrian Arab Army is expelling extremists from�their strongholds in�the country.