Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 27, 2016

'We're painted as lost souls or thrill seekers, but so what?' [Photo courtesy of Hannah Bohman]

Norma Costello, Al Jazeera: What draws foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria?

While some are motivated by a genuine desire to help, others have come seeking personal glory, fighters say.

Tel Eskof, Iraq - In the small, northern Iraqi town of Tel Eskof, a white pick-up truck rolled down the dirt road towards a nearby frontline, carrying part of a new medical unit.

The men in the truck waved as a tall soldier standing at the roadside, clad in combat gear and dark Ray-Bans, bellowed in an unmistakable southern US drawl: "Welcome to Tel Eskof, y'all!"

Spanning various ages and nationalities, the fighters here comprise part of a small yet well-known contingent of foreign volunteers who left their homes thousands of kilometres away to help the Kurds battle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 27, 2016

The final ounce of diplomacy devoted to Syria -- Kersten Knipp, DW

Normandy, Istanbul, Dhaka, Nice, Baghdad, Orlando: WHY? -- Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst

World leaders perpetuate failed anti-terror policies -- Rami G Khouri, Al Jazeera

Egypt And Turkey: Why A Coup Succeeded In One And Failed In The Other -- Leila Fadel, NPR

Why Turkey wants to silence its academics -- Fatma Müge Göçek, The Conversation

Turkey Is Not the Country It Once Was -- Christopher Torchia, US News and World Report/AP

What to Expect From the Upcoming Putin-Erdogan Meeting -- Sputnik

Facing North Korea's Nuclear Reality -- Rodger Baker, Stratfor

Analysis: China Emerges More Muscular After ASEAN Meetings -- AP

Who's Who In South Sudan's Game of Thrones -- Conor Gaffey, Newsweek

Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff on Her Impeachment Trial, the Olympics and Zika -- Matt Sandy, Time

Vladimir Putin Is His Economy's Worst Enemy -- Bloomberg editorial

Trump or Clinton? What the global economy should expect -- Tass Editorial

How Trump Could Start a War With Russia -- Mark Buchanan, Bloomberg

The Clash over Social Media Data -- Luke Penn-Hall, Cipher Brief

We’re Fighting Zika ‘With One Hand Tied Behind Our Backs,’ CDC Director Says -- Alexandra Sifferlin, Time