This has nothing to do with the welfare of the Syrian people,...

This has nothing to do with the welfare of the Syrian people, but a lot to do with natural gas pipelines passing through Syria. Russia is supplying huge ammounts of natural gas to some European countries but some US backed interests want some of that market, probably for strategic reasons as well. The following link sums it up fairly well:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-of-gas-and-the-syrian-crisis-syrian-opposition-armed-to-thwart-construction-of-iran-iraq-syria-gas-pipeline/5337452

Quote:
"Natural gas is the flammable ingredient that is fueling this insane scramble for energy in the region. A battle is raging over whether pipelines will go toward Europe from east to west, from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean coast of Syria, or take a more northbound route from Qatar and Saudi Arabia via Syria and Turkey. Having realized that the stalled Nabucco pipeline, and indeed the entire Southern Corridor, are backed up only by Azerbaijan’s reserves and can never equal Russian supplies to Europe or thwart the construction of the South Stream, the West is in a hurry to replace them with resources from the Persian Gulf. Syria ends up being a key link in this chain, and it leans in favor of Iran and Russia; thus it was decided in the Western capitals that its regime needs to change. The fight for «democracy» is a false flag thrown out to cover up totally different aims".

What is the South Stream? From wikipedia:
"The South Stream is a proposed gas pipeline to transport Russian natural gas through the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further to Greece, Italy and Austria. The project is seen as rival to the planned Nabucco pipeline.[1] Construction started in December 2012, with a first commercial deliveries in late 2015.[2]"

What is the Nabucco pipeline? From wikipedia again:
"The Nabucco-West pipeline (also referred to as the Turkey–Austria gas pipeline) is a proposed natural gas pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria. It is a modification of the original Nabucco Pipeline project, which was to run from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March in Austria. The aim of the Nabucco pipeline is to diversify the natural gas suppliers and delivery routes for Europe, thus reducing European dependence on Russian energy. The original project was backed by several European Union member states and by the United States, and was seen as a rival to the South Stream pipeline project. The main supplier was expected to be Iraq, with potential supplies from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Egypt"

After the recent meeting between Putin and Obama concerning Syria I expected Putin to expose this for what it was. But no, he says he simply dislikes rebels eating human hearts. So neither wants to talk about the pipelines and the world continues in blissful ignorance. Maybe more wheeling and dealing to come between these two?

Is it any wonder that Putin gave Edward Snowden assylum providing he doesn't upset the US anymore?

Better stop the rant now LOL.