Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 26, 2014

Aceh Ten Years After the Tsunami -- Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat

The region has made impressive progress on rebuilding infrastructure, but the mental scars remain.

BANDA ACEH – One thing people invariably recall about the Indian Ocean tsunami is the terrifying sound the tidal wave made as it surged towards shore. Rahmadullah, 31, remembered “a sound like a cyclone.” Mohammad Saleh, a 54-year-old primary school principal, said the wave made a noise “just like a bomb” as it swept trees, homes, and buildings aside like so many cardboard boxes. “It was high as the coconut trees,” recalled carpenter Teuku Mirwan, 31, describing the wall of seawater. “It was black.”

On December 26, 2004, a strange and terrifying new word entered the vocabulary in the Indonesian province of Aceh. An earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered massive tidal waves – some as high as 30 meters – which killed an estimated 230,000 people and devastated coastal communities in 11 countries. Aceh, surrounded by ocean at the northern tip of Sumatra, was among the areas worst-hit by the tsunami. The disaster claimed the lives of 130,000 people and displaced half a million more. Whole families were washed away in the deluge. The coastal geography of the province was violently redrawn. The provincial capital Banda Aceh was all but erased from the map.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 26, 2014

The Guardian view on religious intolerance: the burden of the cross -- Guardian editorial

U.S. slow to support Iraqi tribes in the fight against the Islamic State -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

Entire families answer Islamic State's call -- Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam, Stars and Stripes/The Washington Post

ISIS Gets a Coalition Pilot: What Does It Mean? -- Tom Rogan, NRO

How pilot's capture threatens Jordan's position in Islamic State fight -- Taylor Luck, CSM

Afghans hope for change after bloody year -- Lynne O'Donnell, AP

China's Foreign Policy in 2014: A Year of 'Big Strokes' -- Xie Tao, The Diplomat

China Steps In as World's New Bank -- William Pesek, Bloomberg

As the Year Ends, South Koreans Have Plenty to Talk About -- The Diplomat

Will 2015 be a year of political change for Africa? -- Sean Jacobs, Al Jazeera

Africa in 2014: 10 things we've learnt -- BBC

Analysts: Russia’s economic crisis could push Putin to lash out -- John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes

Rebranding The Land of Mongol Warriors & Ivan The Terrible -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast

For Venezuela, Drop In Global Oil Prices Could Be Catastrophic -- John Otis, NPR (Audio)

Are the Saudis Really Fine With $20 Oil? -- American Interest

Oil’s Swift Fall Raises Fortunes of U.S. Abroad -- Andrew Higginsdec, NYT

The Top Energy Stories of 2014 -- Robert Rapier, Investing Daily

Russian official calls for investigation of Hiroshima, Nagasaki A-bombings -- Sergei L. Loiko, Stars and Stripes/Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Amanpour: The 3 big stories of 2014 -- Christiane Amanpour, CNN