Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- April 28, 2011

PATIENT TRANSPORT - Members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul transport an injured patient to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after a bus rollover on Highway 1 in Afghanistan's Zabul province, April 28, 2011. Eleven patients were medically evacuated for further care. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson

The Great Afghan Carve-Up -- Brian M Downing, Asia Times

The United States is seeking a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan. It hopes to reverse the Taliban's momentum and bring them to the bargaining table through a counter-insurgency program, diplomacy with indigenous tribes and foreign powers, and the attrition of Taliban forces. This, the US expects, will give it an important if not central role in a settlement.

But regional powers - primarily Pakistan and China, with the support of Iran and Turkey - see the lone superpower as overextended, weary, and nearing a fiscal crisis - a situation they seek to turn to their advantage. These four regional powers are in a good position to play crucial roles in a settlement and in an excellent position to benefit from one.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

NATO Sending Mixed Messages about Afghan Militias -- The Danger Room
As Petraeus exits, US interests in Afghanistan far from secured -- Christian Science Monitor
What Obama's security team shakeup could mean for Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/Christian Science Monitor
Nation-Building in Afghanistan -- Jam Lacey, National Review

What Syria's neighbors are thinking -- CNN
In Syria, Assad must exit the stage -- Salman Shaikh, CNN
Why Is Obama Protecting Assad? -- Lee Smith, NPR/Weekly Standard
Could the Assad regime fall apart? -- The Economist

Analysts Say Arming Libyan Rebels Could Have Negative Consequences -- Voice of America
Tunisians' welcoming of Libyan refugees is altruism in action -- Mark Vernon, The Guardian
Nato's action in Libya based on hope not knowledge -- Dmitry Babich, The Telegraph/Ria Novosti
Saving lives in Libya -- Washington Post editorial
The battle for Libya. Pressure points -- The Economist

Arab Spring, Israeli Winter -- Benny Morris, National Interest

The Kind of Israel the Middle East Needs More Of -- Paul Pillar, National Interest

Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about to resign? -- Meir Javedanfar, The Guardian

Europe’s Test in North Africa -- Peter Sutherland, Project Syndicate

China publishes foreign aid strategy -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

The return of European borders? -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

Why Germany's Offshore Wind Parks Have Stalled -- Frank Dohmen and Alexander Jung, Spiegel Online

Gitmo detainees are coming soon to an American city near you -- Washington Examiner editorial

The Trouble With Petraeus -- Michael Cohen, Democracy Arsenal