US Secretary of State John Kerry made a conciliatory visit to Russia on Tuesday. Against US politicians' criticism of Russia's "counterproductive" role in Syria to fight the Islamic State (IS), Kerry endorsed Russia's efforts, saying Moscow "has been a significant contributor to the progress" the international community has made in Syria.

Kerry's visit has bolstered progress in a few other important respects. Kerry said the US is "not seeking regime change in Syria," compromising its former insistence of the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a precondition for further multi-party talks. In exchange, Russia backed a round of high-level talks on Syria in New York on Friday, accepting a delegation of Syrian opposition groups if they are under the auspices of a UN moderator.

Pragmatism prevails in diplomacy. The biggest highlight of Kerry's visit is Washington's compromise on Syrian issues to court Moscow's cooperation.

With Russia's help, the Syrian government is making significant progress in overcoming the IS. This gives Moscow leverage to stay and wield its influence in the Middle East. Although reluctant, Washington has found it impossible to drive away Russia.

Strategies to deal with the rise of the IS are stretched thin for the US. President Barack Obama, during a speech after the San Bernardino killings, only reiterated his prudent countermeasures against terrorism. The White House must have realized that no one can fight terrorism, especially the IS, alone. International cooperation has never been called for more than it has today.

Obama has been much more flexible in addressing diplomatic conundrums in the final two years of his second term. Eager to leave memorable legacies, Obama has thawed ties with Cuba and inked a nuclear agreement with Iran. The Middle East has been a focus as well as a hot potato for the US for decades, and things are getting more messy in the region along with the rampancy of terrorism.

The expansion of the IS forces the US and Russia to shelve their disagreements and face up to a common threat. More space for cooperation between both sides is being created with the threat of the IS. The US needs joint efforts more than any other major players. It must be noted that the orientation for the cooperation is not on continuous mutual interests, but on a contingent need to overcome a common enemy. This joint effort is not solid, and has a high risk of falling apart.

Considering Washington's volatile position in Middle East issues, and tendency to put its own geopolitical interests above regional peace, US-Russia cooperation faces grave challenges from both outside and inside. We can't yet know if this cooperation will stand the test of time.