The heart of the matter is that the shadow play over the Geneva peace talks on Syria may have run its course. A war of nerves may have replaced it. Russia will not stop its military operations in Syria until the country’s borders with Turkey and Jordan are closed to terrorists. It refuses to walk into the trap of an open-ended conflict in Syria. The skeleton of the Treaty of Moscow tumbling out of the cupboard today and the display of combat readiness of Russia’s Southern Military District are a warning that the conflict in Syria could easily spiral into deeper mayhem.