Syria: Lofty Aspirations and Realities on the Ground (AUDIO INTERVIEW)

The Media Line speaks with Chatham House’s David Butter on a day the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran discuss what next in the war-ravaged country

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran conferred on Wednesday via videoconference about the future of Syria, where all have forces – through not necessarily on the same side in the country’s brutal civil war, now in its tenth year.

Following the meeting, Presidents Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani issued a joint statement saying the conflict should be brought to an end through a political process.

In light of such lofty aspirations, The Media Line spoke with David Butter, a Syria analyst affiliated with London’s Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, to learn more about the situation in Syria and some of the many players there.