Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- November 19, 2014

U.S. President Barack Obama. (Ian Waldie/Bloomberg)

President Obama Needs To Fix His Flawed Islamic State Strategy -- Washington Post editorial

THE BEHEADING of another American by the Islamic State brought an appropriately harsh condemnation from President Obama, who called it “an act of pure evil.” Such words about the murder of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig, ought to reinforce the urgency of destroying the terrorist entity before it can further embed itself in Syria and Iraq and commit other atrocities — such as genocide against non-Muslim communities or a direct attack on the United States.

That’s why it was discouraging to hear Mr. Obama simultaneously rule out steps to patch the glaring gaps in his strategy. At a news conference in Australia on Sunday, the president appeared to reject the deployment of U.S. Special Operations forces to the front lines — a move his senior military commanders have publicly said may be necessary — except in extreme circumstances. Mr. Obama cited the Islamic State’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon as an example of what would move him to act.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- November 19, 2014

US strategy against Islamic State: Iraq first, but not Iraq only, Dempsey says -- Anna Mulrine, CSM

Hashtags and Holy War: Islamic State Tweets Its Way to Success -- Interview Conducted By Britta Sandberg, Speigel Online

Inside Islamic State’s oil empire: how captured oilfields fuel Isis insurgency -- The Guardian

Iran talks show promise, but deadline unlikely -- Elise Labott and Jim Sciutto, CNN

Iran nuclear talks: The final stretch -- Shashank Joshi, Al Jazeera

Should Westerners who joined the Islamic State be barred from returning home? -- Adam Taylor, Stars and Stripes/The Washington Post

The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue -- Creede Newton, Daily Beast

World terrorism deaths spiked last year – but only in five countries. Why? -- Howard LaFranchi, CSM

The UN gave millions to Somalia. Where did it go? -- George Russell, FOX News

Russia Is Hurtling Toward Disaster -- Ivan Sukhov, Moscow Times

Europe's brand new rogue states -- Olesia Markovic, Al Jazeera

How Valérie Trierweiler caused incalculable damage to François Hollande -- Telegraph.co.uk

Is there hope for Colombia's peace talks? -- Inside Story/Al Jazeera

The Foreign Policy of a Failed Presidency -- George Friedman, Stratfor

Obama’s revival in foreign policy -- Nicholas Burns, Boston Globe