Where is America’s moral high ground now? The Obama administration justified its abandonment of Iraq by saying the young government had to solve the problem of the Islamic State on its own. And that’s exactly what it’s trying to do. Reuters reports the country has aligned itself with the coalition that has sprung up to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria — a coalition that includes Russia, Lebanon, Hezbollah and Iran. While the U.S. worried terrorism would fill the void Barack Obama’s weak leadership created, it was a stronger leader that ultimately took America’s place — Russian President Vladimir Putin. The not-exactly-American-friendly coalition is preparing for a ground campaign against the rebels — some armed with U.S. weapons — backed with Russian airpower. Obama won’t admit it, but Moscow’s interests are different than American interests. While the U.S. would like the Great Bear to strike the Islamic State, Russian aircraft struck rebel areas that threatened Assad strongholds. So far, the Obama administration’s response is to complain about Russia’s “indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition,” per Obama spokesman Josh Earnest. Don’t they understand this is no longer just about “degrading and ultimately destroying” the Islamic State? No, the long arc of history doesn’t naturally bend toward peace and justice. The “international community” doesn’t just iron out its differences to stop evil. Putin the Machiavel just swept over Obama’s hope-for-change foreign policy.