Friday, January 24, 2014

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- January 24, 2014



Do Syria And Iraq Still Exist? -- John Batchelor, Al Jazeera

War-torn Fallujah is reportedly more in the grip of Al-Qaeda than at any time since the U.S. military secured Anbar province in 2007–08. The same strongman who lorded over the town after the first battles in 2004, Abdullah al-Janabi, has returned as the emir of the city of 300,000 — preaching at the mosque and establishing a “Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered the Iraqi army to deploy around the perimeter of Fallujah along the Euphrates, 50 miles west of Baghdad, but he has decided against an offensive. Rather, the Maliki government is asking the neighboring Sunni tribes for help in dislodging the insurgents flying the black flag of Al-Qaeda. At the same time, Maliki has ordered the Iraqi army to attack the jihadists in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, upriver from Fallujah, where local tribes are battling jihadist elements.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Assad's Hypocrisy -- and America's -- Michael Weiss, Real Clear World/NOW

The United States needs to tell Turkey to change course -- Morton Abramowitz, Eric Edelman and Blaise Misztal, Washington Post

Financing death: Iran's 'War on Drugs' -- Mosa Zahed, UPI

South Sudan Faces Uphill Struggle for a Longer-Term Peace -- Jay Newton-Small, Time

Four big things to know about Egypt in 2014 -- Raymond Stock, FOX News

The Last Stand of Hamid Karzai -- David Francis, Fiscal Times

Will Japan Abandon Pacifism? -- Matt Ford, The Atlantic

Thailand Is Only the Tip of Asia’s Iceberg -- William Pesek, Bloomberg

Inside the heart of 'revolutionary' Ukraine -- David Blair, The Telegraph

Violence in Ukraine: Can Russia or the West Make it Stop? -- Simon Shuster, Time

'We may actually get something done': new era in Franco-German alliance -- Philip Oltermann, The Guardian

China's investments in the US are growing. Should we be concerned? -- Steven Hill, The Guardian

The American People Aren't Ready for China -- Peter Harris, The National Interest

Pope Francis declares the internet a 'gift from God' - but warns that an obsession with the web can leave people isolated -- Daily Mail

'Polar vortex' costs billions. Open next fuel bill with care. -- Noelle Swan, Christian Science Monitor

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