Who is the ringmaster among all the clowns?

Western politicians have been used to dictating to the rest of the world. After all they were colonial masters at one time. But the world has changed so that their actions are rebounding on them. After instigating an armed rebellion in Ukraine, which forced an elected president to seek refuge in Russia, the west imposed sanctions on Russia for supporting Russian speakers in the east of the country. It has not worked out as the west wanted. Ukraine is now a divided country, with the east functioning independently of Kiev, and the current President, Petro Poroshenko presides over an increasingly corrupt government. Sanctions imposed on Russia, coupled with the collapse in oil prices, have devastated the Russian economy. In July the US concluded a nuclear deal with Iran, with a promise to lift economic sanctions. In August the Quds Force Commander, Qassem Soleimani visited Moscow. In September the US warned Russia against any military intervention in Syria but by the end of the month Russia had started bombing rebel positions in that country. In November Turkey shot down a Russian SU-24 which was returning from a bombing mission in Syria. Turkey claimed that the plane had strayed into its territory while Russia said it was because son and son-in-law of President RT Erdogan are smuggling oil from ISIS, providing it with funds to pay its fighters, and were angry that oil trucks are being destroyed. The Russian pilot of the plane was shot dead as he parachuted to the ground. Russia is hunting for the killer, Alparsan Celik, a Turkish citizen, who is in hiding in Turkey. Just as the west still thinks that, as former colonial masters, other nations should obey its orders Erdogan dreams of restoring another Ottoman empire. He has been playing tricks, hoping to emerge as the only regional power as other countries grow weaker through fighting. He has been supplying arms to Syrian rebels in an effort to bring down the Assad government. He has been forced to support US bombing of ISIS but is bombing the Kurds, who are the only fighters, fighting ISIS on the ground. As millions of migrants have flooded into Europe fears are growing about large numbers of terrorists entering Europe posing as migrants. Western leaders have no idea on how to control the flood of refugees so the UN has convened a conference in Geneva to broker a ceasefire. Even as the conference got under way Syrian government forces were encircling Aleppo, with the help of Russian bombing, and cutting off supply lines from Turkey. Russia has established a no-fly zone over northern Syria in retaliation for the shooting down of its own plane and is supplying arms to the Kurds, storing more trouble for Turkey in future. Syrian fighters gathering in Geneva are looking at total surrender to Assad. Meanwhile tens of thousands of desperate refugees are gathering at the border with Turkey. Obama, Cameron, Erdogan and other clowns have become spectators. So, who will turn out to be the ringmaster?