>>1 From what you've said, and from what little I've read elsewhere, it seems to me that the only way to prevent U.S.-Russia military conflict (assuming that Russia will in fact attack the U.S. if we attempt to intervene militarily in Syria) would be for the U.S. to not intervene militarily in Syria. I read an article that makes me very unsure of whether or not the U.S. will do so. Here's the link to it: http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/obamas-bluff?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130827&utm_term=Gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=c8689739f06a41be992fdfa679a51e44. The article also highlights just how sticky a situation Syria has become.
On a related note, MKOLLER, did you happen to read or hear in what manner Russia stated it would attack the U.S. if we attempted to intervene militarily in Syria?
As far as the G20 Summit goes, I think it is very important that Obama go, more for the second goal of the summit that MKOLLER stated in
>>2 than anything else. Considering what's happened in the past several months and how it's affected U.S.-Russia relations, as well as how the Arab Spring has affected the rest of the world, I think it's important for Obama to be able to meet one-on-one with leaders of our closely allied nations, as well as leaders of nations such as Russia, which can be more antagonistic towards the U.S.
I think this is important for a few reasons. First, it can help to establish (or continue) a general dialogue between leaders. Second, as MKOLLER stated, Obama wanted to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss North Korea and China. This summit gives him a good opportunity to do so. Third, it gives Obama a chance (another chance?) to talk with Vladimir Putin, and hopefully they would be able to, if not come up with some agreement/compromise regarding our two countries' tensions over Snowden and Syria, at least discuss those issues. Even if a particular discussion doesn't produce the results that people want it to, or think it should, it can provide a foundation on which to build in subsequent discussions. If nothing else, I think it's incredibly important that the U.S. try to maintain relations with other nations as best it can.
I think it would be incredibly childish if Obama didn't attend the summit because of the Snowden affair. I also think it would be incredibly foolish if he didn't attend, regardless of the reason, because of the huge opportunity to communicate with other nations' leaders he'd be passing up. Attendance at an event like this shows a leader's willingness to try to work with other nations and cooperate and be a part of the international community. Establishing such a rapport with other nations can only be beneficial to the U.S.