What could trigger US-Russia war?

Concerns are growing that as the US is losing ground in Syria it might start an air war against the Syrian government which could lead to an armed conflict with Russia, according to an American a writer and retired professor.  

James Petras, a professor emeritus of sociology at Binghamton University in New York, and adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Friday.

He was commenting on a news report which says US President Barack Obama and his top foreign policy advisers are considering their military and other options in Syria as Syrian and Russian forces are defeating US-backed militants in Aleppo and other parts of the Arab country.

US officials told the Reuters news agency that some high-ranging officials argue Washington must act more forcefully in Syria or risk losing what influence it still has over militants in Syria.

According to the report, published on Friday, one option is carrying out direct airstrikes on Syrian military bases, munitions depots or radar and anti-aircraft bases.

Professor Petras said, “We’re at a very difficult point in the evolution of the Syrian conflict. I think the United States feels that it’s lost ground to its backing of the groups and personnel that they have allowed to enter the country.”

“And there’s a considerable concern among the Russians and Syrians that the US will decide to engage in air war against Syria, the Syrian government, which involves an escalation of the conflict, and has the potentialities of involving the US in a war with Russia which would be catastrophic,” he stated.

“So the feeling here among recognized observers of what’s going on is that this is a crucial moment that we fear, that the United States may proceed to the precipice to what could be a conflagration in the Middle East,” the analyst noted.

“So this is a very difficult moment for us as citizens even though the great majority of the American people seem to be ignorant of what is in store for us,” he said in his concluding remarks.

Earlier this week, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev also warned that tensions between Washington and Moscow over Syria have reached a “dangerous threshold”

“I think the world has approached a dangerous threshold. I would prefer not to suggest any particular schemes, but I want to say: we need to stop,” Gorbachev, 85, told Russia's news agency RIA Novosti on Monday.