Nobel peace prize for Putin: why not?

Vladimir Putin’s peace initiative on Syria could earn the Russian president a Nobel peace prize, says French political analyst Marc Rousset.

The move to place Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile under intentional control has postponed a potentially bloody strike against the Arab country, while at the same time making the Assad regime give up its deadly chemical arsenal, the pundit pointed out in his blog. Mr. Rousset stressed that Putin managed to pull off a fine maneuver, preventing an airstrike against Damascus and offering western leaders a way to save face amid the Syrian quagmire, as more and more people are speaking against a war on Syria. The peaceful option could also save President Obama from shame of having his Syria plan repudiated in Congress. With the war or a punitive action on hold, Syria is now in for a lengthy negotiating process, the analyst believes. “One thing is clear: Putin’s diplomatic gambit was quite a game-changer in that it reinstated Russia as a world power that must be taken into account, which was obviously the goal.” Marc Rousset underscored that Moscow’s proposal was met with relief even in the Arab world, whose leaders, for all their hate of Assad, loathed western-backed wars in the region. “A Nobel peace prize for Putin? Why not? Obama got it for doing nothing,” the analyst wrote. Mr. Rousset also said that Moscow's plan should have come from the West. “Barack Obama, who decided not to go to Russia, should be grateful for its idea, which should have been his own.” Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_11/Nobel-peace-prize-for-Putin-why-not-8150/