Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 11, 2017

Anna Fitfield, Washington Post: With both the U.S. and North Korea saber rattling, is conflict imminent?

TOKYO — The United States and North Korea are engaging in high-tension brinkmanship, with North Korea warning Tuesday that it will “hit the U.S. first” with nuclear weapons, but the prospects that this could escalate into an actual clash of arms are slim.

The stakes remain too high for both countries, analysts say, today as they were yesterday, as they were last year. But the temperature in the region has become decidedly hotter in recent days. And there’s always the chance that one side or the other could miscalculate.

Expectations are mounting that North Korea will unleash some kind of provocation this week, and the U.S. Navy rerouted an aircraft carrier strike group, capable of both firing missiles and shooting missiles down, to the Korean Peninsula over the weekend.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 11, 2017

5 ways the North Korea situation could spiral out of control -- Sean Illing, VOX

Military Strike on North Korea - Only Option? -- Alex Lockie, Scout Warrior

What if America Assassinated Kim Jong Un? -- Daniel DePetris, National Interest

Will China pinch North Korea economically? -- DW

Facing pressure from Trump, Kim Jong Un and Bashar al-Assad reaffirm their nations’ friendship -- Adam Taylor, Washington Post

US missile strike on Syria 'a violation of international law' -- Wolfgang Dick, DW

Trump is setting himself up for more military action in Syria -- Nick Miriello, VICE

Why the Russians Aren’t Likely to Break With Assad -- Vali Nasr, The Atlantic

How Washington Lets Beijing Monopolize Minerals Vital for Phones and Fighter Jets -- Doug Wise, Cipher Brief

How China and Russia Avoided the Thucydides Trap -- Marcin Kaczmarski, The Interpreter

Duterte's embarrassing to and fro on South China Sea -- Ana P. Santos, DW

Ignore the polls – France’s election is far from over -- Kpnrad Yakabuski, The Globe and Mail

Trump's War Powers Build on Obama's, and Bush's, and ... -- Noah Feldman, Bloomberg

There Is No ‘Trump Doctrine,’ and That’s Okay -- Noah Rothman, Commentary

White House on edge as 100-day judgment nears -- Shane Gold Macher, Politico

In Trump's White House, Family Comes First -- Timothy L. O'Brien, Bloomberg