Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- June 26, 2014

It’s Not Our War -- Fred Kaplan, Slate

The United States should help others crush ISIS, and not much else.

Despite prodding from the United States and others, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki doesn’t want to share power, the Kurds don’t want to give up a shot at independence, and the Sunnis would rather stick with murderous jihadist protectors than trust a Shiite government that shuns their demands and persecutes their leaders.

Should any of this surprise us? More to the point, why do some among us persist in thinking that, through three cups of tea and a few well-aimed airstrikes, we can persuade sectarian chieftains to cede their vital interests to some greater good as defined by foreign powers?

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- June 26, 2014

Iraqi Pollster: U.S. Must Be Engaged in Iraq -- Robert Charette, Washington Free Beacon

Confronting the Islamic threat to the West -- Michael Curtis, The Commentator

ISIS and SISI -- Thomas Friedman, NYT

In Iraq, It's About the Oil, Stupid -- Michael Schwartz, TomDispatch

Valiant’ in Soccer, Can Iran Achieve Diplomatic Goals? -- Barbara Slavin, VOA

Putin Can Still Invade Ukraine Whenever He Pleases -- Josh Kovensky, New Republic

Russia and China Move on the Chess Board of Global Conflict -- Harald Malmgren, Second Line of Defense

After Karzai -- Mujib Mashal, The Atlantic

Time for Taiwan to Rethink Its Diplomacy -- Joel Atkinson, The Diplomat

Report: U.S. Diplomatic Compounds Still at Risk After Benghazi -- Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon

U.S. power: Waging cold wars without end -- Nicholas Wapshott, Reuters

US drone killings: 'a secret war governed by secret law'? -- Anna Mulrine, CSM

Former Officials Knock U.S. Drone Program -- Noah Rayman, Time

The Flight 370 Zombie Theory Rises From the Dead -- Clive Irving, Daily Beast

Why the shift to alternate energies continues, despite shale boom -- Richard Schiffman, Reuters