Another U.S.-backed ceasefire, which began in Syria on Monday, held for no more than a few hours. Tom Rogan explains why no one should be surprised:

[The ceasefire] is simply another episode in Vladimir Putin’s long-running manipulation game. Consider how the Russia-Assad-Iran axis acted this past weekend. On Saturday, re-emphasizing its disdain for humanitarianism, the axis bombed a crowded market in the city of Idlib. Around 50 civilians were killed. Consider, too, the ongoing deployment of axis forces into the stranglehold of rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Putin and his allies do not seek peace. As things stand, Putin holds the strategic initiative in Syria. . . .

[N]ow, the ceasefire means that rebel offensives against Bashar al-Assad will stall and the axis position will only strengthen. . . .

[A]fter President Obama and the EU react positively to the pretense of peace, the Russians will use massive air power against moderate rebel groups. They’ll do so claiming that they were targeting Jabhat Fateh al-Sham [an al-Qaeda affiliate, formerly known as Nusra Front], but that will only be the pretense. This will be a very one-sided ceasefire. By the time that truth becomes clear, it will already be too late. The moderate rebels will have been degraded, and Russia will have scored another hammer blow against U.S. credibility in the Middle East.

Remember: degrading our credibility is a focal point of Putin’s overarching strategy to displace American influence around the world.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.