Shaky start for new cease-fire launched in Syria without the U.S.

A Russian-Turkish plan to end the war in Syria got off to a shaky start on Friday with the partial implementation of a new cease-fire agreement that excludes for now any involvement of the United States.

There are hopes that this peace attempt will work where countless U.S.-backed efforts have failed, in part because the United States is not involved. Russia, which is now the single most influential power in Syria, is taking the lead in the initiative, and President Vladimir Putin has staked his prestige on a successful outcome.

Turkey, which is the other main partner in the process, has far more leverage over the rebels than the United States ever did, above all because it controls the border they depend on for supplies of weaponry.

Read the full article at The Washington Post.