Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 6, 2015

Bloomberg editorial: Preventing Friendly Fire From the Sky

As the Pentagon investigates the airstrike that killed 22 civilians at an Afghan hospital last weekend, it's crucial that authorities be as transparent as possible -- not only about what the pilots and spotters on the ground did, but also about the rules they're required to follow.

The aerial attack on the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz came from an AC-130 gunship. The AC-130, a transport plane outfitted with fearsome cannons on its wings, has traditionally not been subject to the strict "collateral damage estimation" procedure that air controllers use to determine whether fighter jets and drones get the green light to attack. The reason for the exemption, at least according to a copy of the collateral-damage guidelines obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2009, is that the gunship has highly accurate "direct fire" weapons with projectiles under 105 millimeters.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 6, 2015

Why did US attack an Afghan hospital? Kunduz's troubling questions. -- Mark Sappenfield, CSM

The Iranian Project: Why Assad Has Turned to Moscow for Help -- Christoph Reuter, Spiegel Online

Russia Is Bombing Ambulances in Syria -- Michael Weiss, Daily Beast

Is Syria's long war wearing down key Assad backer Hezbollah? -- Nicholas Blanford, CSM

Vlad and Yuri: How Putin is applying the lessons of Afghanistan to Syria -- Bruce Riedel, Al-Monitor

How Putin Wins in Syria -- Bill Powell, Newsweek

While Russia Makes War in Syria, It Makes Love in Egypt -- Torie Rose DeGhett, VICE News

Putin’s intervention in Syria may bog down Russia and vindicate Obama -- Walter Pincus, Washington Post

The violence in Jerusalem is spreading. Here's why it could be really hard to stop -- Laura Dean, Global Post

Obama can't stay in Afghanistan, but he can't leave -- Stephen Collinson, CNN

Congress to Push Obama on North Korea Sanctions -- Josh Rogin, Bloomberg

As winter looms, war-weary Ukraine shows signs of energy independence -- Cristina Maza, CSM

Here’s why Putin wants to topple Ukraine’s government, not to engineer a ‘frozen conflict’ -- Robert Person, Washington Post

Close Quarters: Asylum Shelters in Germany Struggle with Violence -- Spiegel Online

The Troubles Are Back -- Eamonn McCain, NYT