Assad ouster challenges India's balancing act policy. Delhi’s best hope isn’t in office yet

For years, the US viewed Assad's Syria as a vital asset in Russia's broader geopolitical strategy. Despite the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of China as a contender to American authority, Putin's Russia has never given up its vision of a greater Eurasia. If not geographic ownership, Russia counted on Syria to serve as a significant pawn in the Middle East and West Asia. For the US, Assad's regime was an impediment to countering the Russian agenda. Hence, the Syrian leader's rule had to end—and it has ended now. The fall of Assad's government in Syria was…