Jeffrey Sachs

It happens that the acting president was my first PhD student at Harvard. So I go back with him 44 years, which is nice. Amazing.

I think that it was, first of all, a military choice because Russia is in the midst of a very tough war along a 1,200-kilometer front in Ukraine, and it did not want to divert any major military effort. that direction. Second, the proximate reason why Assad fell was that the main military backing of Assad was Hezbollah forces and the Iranian guard. And they had both been

I think that it was, first of all, a military choice because Russia is in the midst of a very tough war along a 1,200-kilometer front in Ukraine, and it did not want to divert any major military effort. that direction. Second, the proximate reason why Assad fell was that the main military backing of Assad was Hezbollah forces and the Iranian guard. And they had both been

I think that it was, first of all, a military choice because Russia is in the midst of a very tough war along a 1,200-kilometer front in Ukraine, and it did not want to divert any major military effort. that direction. Second, the proximate reason why Assad fell was that the main military backing of Assad was Hezbollah forces and the Iranian guard. And they had both been

Especially Hezbollah had been very badly mauled by Israel in the last month and a half and had pulled its reinforcements from Syria to reinforce Lebanese positions. And so Assad was left without the backing of Hezbollah forces, several thousand, which was the bulwark of his military. I think a third... is that Russia doesn't think it's leaving Syria, that this isn't the end of the story.

Especially Hezbollah had been very badly mauled by Israel in the last month and a half and had pulled its reinforcements from Syria to reinforce Lebanese positions. And so Assad was left without the backing of Hezbollah forces, several thousand, which was the bulwark of his military. I think a third... is that Russia doesn't think it's leaving Syria, that this isn't the end of the story.

Especially Hezbollah had been very badly mauled by Israel in the last month and a half and had pulled its reinforcements from Syria to reinforce Lebanese positions. And so Assad was left without the backing of Hezbollah forces, several thousand, which was the bulwark of his military. I think a third... is that Russia doesn't think it's leaving Syria, that this isn't the end of the story.

And immediately, the supposed new force in Syria, the HTS, said that it wants Russia to stay and to keep its bases in Syria. Russia has a naval base and a small one and an airfield. And Russia has re-established deployed its forces from within Syria to both of those bases, but is probably not leaving.

And immediately, the supposed new force in Syria, the HTS, said that it wants Russia to stay and to keep its bases in Syria. Russia has a naval base and a small one and an airfield. And Russia has re-established deployed its forces from within Syria to both of those bases, but is probably not leaving.

And immediately, the supposed new force in Syria, the HTS, said that it wants Russia to stay and to keep its bases in Syria. Russia has a naval base and a small one and an airfield. And Russia has re-established deployed its forces from within Syria to both of those bases, but is probably not leaving.

So I think from probably a strategic calculus, Russia just regards this as a temporary step on a path to continued conflict and that this was not the time to get into another major front. Yes. And that would be my assessment.

So I think from probably a strategic calculus, Russia just regards this as a temporary step on a path to continued conflict and that this was not the time to get into another major front. Yes. And that would be my assessment.

So I think from probably a strategic calculus, Russia just regards this as a temporary step on a path to continued conflict and that this was not the time to get into another major front. Yes. And that would be my assessment.

Well, I would first be clear. Under the Constitution, Biden is president until January 20th. I think it's right to say that Biden should not put America into further insecurity. He's done enough damage. And so I think it's right for every political figure to say to Biden, you're at the end of your term and the world is very dangerous. You do not have a mandate to increase the danger.

Well, I would first be clear. Under the Constitution, Biden is president until January 20th. I think it's right to say that Biden should not put America into further insecurity. He's done enough damage. And so I think it's right for every political figure to say to Biden, you're at the end of your term and the world is very dangerous. You do not have a mandate to increase the danger.

Well, I would first be clear. Under the Constitution, Biden is president until January 20th. I think it's right to say that Biden should not put America into further insecurity. He's done enough damage. And so I think it's right for every political figure to say to Biden, you're at the end of your term and the world is very dangerous. You do not have a mandate to increase the danger.

You should never have authorized violence. The use of attack and other U.S. missiles in deep strikes into Russia stop further provocations now. So I hope that politicians of both parties and I think President Trump can also make this clear. It's not to take over the government until January 20th. But Biden. Absolutely, in my view, is without the legitimacy to further endanger us.

You should never have authorized violence. The use of attack and other U.S. missiles in deep strikes into Russia stop further provocations now. So I hope that politicians of both parties and I think President Trump can also make this clear. It's not to take over the government until January 20th. But Biden. Absolutely, in my view, is without the legitimacy to further endanger us.

You should never have authorized violence. The use of attack and other U.S. missiles in deep strikes into Russia stop further provocations now. So I hope that politicians of both parties and I think President Trump can also make this clear. It's not to take over the government until January 20th. But Biden. Absolutely, in my view, is without the legitimacy to further endanger us.

And they should prevent any actions from abroad that threaten American security, of course. But I don't see those happening. I think the biggest risk right now is continued U.S. provocations of the kind that we've been discussing in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in the periphery of Russia, in the Far East. Stop any further provocations.