Friedman immediately starts his article by stating his argument defending President Barack Obama's policy on Syria. His argument is broken up into his main point, his reasoning, and his conclusion, similar to a classical argument. His argument defending Obama's policy is supported by facts, data, and opinions. These sources help support his argument. Friedman also includes a rebuttal against Republican critics by stating Putin's actions and his commentary. The argument does flow nicely from claim to claim.His argument becomes weaker when he discusses possible future occurrences. He assumes that Russian actions will cause Sunni Muslims and Jihadists to place a target on Putin. His future opinions hurt his credibility as a writer, and hurt an otherwise solid argument.