Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 18, 2017

Joel Greenberg, CSM: More than they bargained for? Israeli leaders gird for Trump visit.

A SHIFT IN THOUGHT Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that Trump is someone he can work with. But the president's unpredictability and recent enthusiasm for the Mideast peace process could put Israel's right-wing coalition in a tough spot.

A recent cartoon in the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu breaking a sweat as he greeted a friend bearing gifts: President Trump with a package containing an Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Mr. Netanyahu, on the heels of a famously bad relationship with former President Barack Obama that both sides did little to hide, has gone out of his way to signal that Mr. Trump is a president he can deal with. For his part, Trump took office after campaigning hard on the theme he would be a more sympathetic friend to Israel.

But what began with high expectations in the Israeli government of a suddenly freed hand in settlement building and of tightening Israel's hold on the occupied West Bank has turned into apprehension over what peace proposals the fast-pivoting Trump may bring with him on his visit here.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 18, 2017

Trump’s spiritual tour to begin with Saudi desert tryst -- Sami Moubayed, Asia Times

Trump's Saudi Agenda -- Bloomberg editorial

Could Iran Elect Its Own Rodrigo Duterte? -- John Allen Gay, National Interest

Iran's battleground: Supreme Leader vs the President -- Massoumeh Torfeh, Al Jazeera

Iran's Choice -- Haleh Esfandiari, The Atlantic

Saudi Arabia Experiments with Reform Amid Economic Downturn -- Susanne Koelbl, Spiegel Online

Why ISIS Is Bullet-Proof -- Michael W.S. Ryan, Cipher Brief

3 Reasons North Korea Is a Bigger Threat Than a Month Ago -- Ciro Scotti, Fiscal Times

China Policy That Works—for America -- Gordon G. Chang, RCD/Strategika

NY Times editorial: China presents ‘existential threat’ to Taiwan -- Asia Unhedged

Strategic Realities: Re-Thinking Afghanistan -- Jeff Goodson, RCD

What's the Point of Donald Trump's Afghan Surge? -- Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy

Why Europe Puts Women in Top Defense Roles -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Will China, India Lead Next Wave of Globalization? -- Tourangbam & Amin, Diplomat

Sending Toby Keith to Saudi Arabia Is a Genius Move -- Ivan Plis, National Interest