Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 18, 2014

KCNA/Reuters

U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack -- Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast

Pyongyang has given the Obama administration no choice but to retaliate now by imposing sanctions or even an embargo.

The New York Times today reported that the American intelligence community has determined that the regime of Kim Jong Un was “centrally involved” in the unprecedented hacking campaign against Sony Pictures Entertainment. CNN reports that the Justice Department will announce, perhaps as early as tomorrow, that hackers working for North Korea were behind the attacks, apparently intended to stop the release of The Interview, the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy about the assassination of the regime’s supremo.

Why would the White House delay an announcement? The administration, the Times reports, “was still debating whether to publicly accuse North Korea of what amounts to a cyberterrorism campaign.” The concern is that a public accusation would result in an escalation.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 18, 2014

As 'The Interview' is pulled, does this mean North Korea wins? -- Timothy Stanley, CNN

Hollywood's complete moral surrender -- Jeff Yang, CNN

Hollywood Surrenders to North Korea -- Marlow Stern, Daily Beast

Sony hack: No more North Korean bad guys? Or Russian? Or ...? -- Michael Holtz, CSM

As Washington and Havana talk, a question: Where is Fidel Castro? -- Nancy San Martin and Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald

Cubans imagine new, more prosperous life without an old foe -- Daniel Trotta, Reuters

As Cuba and U.S. mend ties will Venezuela follow their lead? -- Jim Wyss, Miami Herald

Syria: where modern and medieval warfare combines -- The Guardian

The Arab World’s Vanishing Christians -- Christian C. Sahner, Project Syndicate

How will Pakistan deal with armed groups? -- Inside Story/Al Jazeera

Avenging the Children of Peshawar: The Taliban's Massacre in Peshawar Must Be Its Last -- Mira Sethi and Shehrbano Taseer, NYT

Two Days After School Attack, Pakistan Court Lets Terrorists Walk Free -- Chris Allbritton, Daily Beast

Putin says Russia economy will be cured, offers no remedy -- Timothy Heritage and Alexei Anishchuk, Reuters

Putin’s Christmas Show -- John Cassidy, New Yorker

Oil Price Scenarios For 2015 And 2016 -- OilPrice.com

Here's How Much Oil The World's Biggest Oil Players Are Sitting On -- Shane Ferro, Business Insider