Moscow's success in the Middle East and the attention it attracted has left a traumatic effect on America's political and military elites, much like the launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik I, on October 4, 1957, the Italian newspaper added.
Back then Washington did not expect the Soviets to have the technology needed to make such an achievement. These days the US was unprepared that Russia managed to create a powerful and efficient military machine at a time of economic crisis.
Until recently, many in the US and Europe viewed the Russian Armed Forces through Soviet clichés: they seem to have expected millions of soldiers in ragged uniforms and piles of scrap metal, Il Giornale noted.
Following a request from Syria's legitimate government, Russia launched a multinational aerial campaign aimed at assisting Damascus-led forces in their fight against a four-and-a-half-year old insurgency in the country.
These developments prompted Barack Obama to keep US troops in Afghanistan despite election promises to withdraw from the country.
