Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 2, 2014

Ashton Carter, the Wonk Who Would Lead the Pentagon -- Shane Harris & Tim Mak, Daily Beast

Obama is widely believed to tap an ex-physicist who cuts military waste like a laser to become the next secretary of defense.

Call it the revenge of the wonk. After being passed over for Defense Secretary last year while serving as the Pentagon’s No. 2, Ashton Carter, a widely admired manager noted for his knack for wrangling budgets and weapons contracts, left government. It seemed as if he’d never serve in the top slot.

But now, with Carter’s former boss, Chuck Hagel, having crashed and burned, Obama is widely believed to be ready to nominate the 60-year-old former physicist as the nation’s 25th Defense Secretary. That's despite the fact that Obama appeared to favor another candidate, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who yesterday asked to be removed from the shortlist, the latest candidate to preemptively decline a job few in Washington seem to want.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 2, 2014

New Defense Chief Will Hit the Air Running -- Jonathan Broder, Newsweek

The Middle East faces a faceless threat, bigger and more challenging than ISIL -- Faisal Al Yafai, The National

N. Korean upgraded tanks still in use in Syrian Civil War -- Joost Oliemans and Stijn Mitzer, NK News

Should Assad Stay or Should He Go? Obama Can’t Decide -- Max Boot, Commentary

America, Don't Give Up on Afghanistan This war is still winnable -- Paul D. Miller, New Republic

China's Economy: Don’t Bet on Beijing: A recent report makes clear the enormous challenges facing China’s economy. -- Sam Winter-Levy, The Diplomat

Arab Spring is over in Egypt -- The Australian

The economic collapse of Ukraine must be halted -- Financial Times

Russia's economic crisis -- Inside Story

Putin problem gives Nato headache -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC

Ukraine’s New Cabinet Takes Office Facing War, Economic Downturn -- Daryna Krasnolutska and Volodymyr Verbyany, Bloomberg

France's UMP elections: Sarko is back -- The Economist

Hooray for cheap oil -- Robert Peston, BBC

How Low Can Oil Go? -- Jesse Colombo, Forbes

Which Oil Producing Region Loses the Most From Low Prices? -- Nick Cunningham, Oil Price

As oil prices plunge, wide-ranging effects for consumers and the global economy -- Steven Mufson, Washington Post

Are we facing another financial crisis? -- Steve Keen, Real Clear World

Europe has good reasons to fear Google -- Vlad Savov, Verge

What happens when you drink 10 Cokes a day for a month? -- The Telegraph