Russia in Syria and what it means for the US

Guests: Samer Abboud, Mitchell Orenstein

Russia ramped up their military campaign in Syria last week launching cruise missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea. The US insists that Russia, backing President Bashar al-Assad, has been aiming largely at Syrian rebel groups, but the Kremlin says ISIS strongholds have been their main target. Russia’s increasing involvement in the Syrian civil war complicates matters for the White House and there’s increasing pressure at home for Obama to respond to Putin’s power play. This hour, we’ll look at why Russia stepped into the Syrian conflict and what it means for the US and the region. Marty talks with SAMER ABBOUD, assistant professor of international studies at Arcadia University and MITCHELL ORENSTEIN, professor of Central and East European politics in the Slavic department at University of Pennsylvania.