Asad is not the key player in this matter, according to Said Gafurov, head of research at the Russian Society for Oriental and African Studies.
“The question is how exactly, in what direction, events will develop”, he says. “The international powers directly involved agree that the person of Bashar Asad is negotiable, whereas the need for reforms is not. In this sense, it is a very wise, subtle and long-sighted move by the Russian Federation and China, which will provide lots of benefits. This is not a situation that can be reduced to a simple “yes” or “no”. There are hundreds of thousands of ways to bring change and each change should be fought for.”