“A coalition with Russia in the battle against the 'Islamic State' is the order of the day,” the author’s opinion article for the German newspaper Deutsche Welle pragmatically states.
“But of course, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a partner in spirit,” the author knowingly reminds his German compatriots.
However, the fear of Germany losing its share of the future glory weighs on him, leading him to rhetorically ask:
“But does this all mean that an anti-IS collaboration with Russia and, via Moscow, ultimately with Assad, should be utterly ruled out? Absolutely not! Neat and tidy answers to questions of international security are seldom found surrounded exclusively by friends in cozy conference rooms.”
“Let's not forget: NATO member Turkey and Saudi Arabia also share responsibility for the war in Syria,” Mannteufel argues.
The author, however, seems to understand that Germany somehow is unable to “completely eradicate” the “apocalyptic Islamic sect” without “close military coordination with Russia", and consoles readers by stating: “After all, there is no use in lamenting the fact that Moscow has settled itself in Syria with its military bases and become an important player there."
Pragmatically, he concludes: “the fact that Putin is scoring propaganda points should be irrelevant for now — as long as the West stands firm on its policy regarding Ukraine.”
