'The real diplomatic priority, however, must be to start to disentangle Syria's tragedy from regional rivalries..'<blockquote>'..batter Islamic State .. There is now the prospect for the kind of combined — if not necessarily coordinated — U.S. and Russian aerial onslaught that might be able to make serious inroads into the movement's military, political and economic capacities.
..
..rapid efforts by the guarantors—Russia and the United States—to isolate and control any local skirmishes.
..
The real diplomatic priority, however, must be to start to disentangle Syria's tragedy from regional rivalries. For as long as Syria is still treated as the board for some Middle Eastern game of Risk, temporary, partial and not completely satisfactory lulls in the fighting are going to be about the best it can accept.'
- Mark Galeotti,
No Easy Fix for Syria (Op-Ed), February 25, 2016</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
(Syria) - '..a nationwide cessation of hostilities..'</blockquote>