Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 12, 2015

Ian Black, The Guardian: How international divisions contributed to Syria's war without end

After four years of conflict, it is clear President Assad’s allies have been more determined to keep him in power than his enemies have been to remove him

No one knows how Syria’s war will end. Four years of violence, destruction and instability have had a terrible impact on millions of its people, on the country and the wider Middle East. But it is already clear that international divisions over the greatest crisis of the 21st century have contributed to its severity and longevity.

Americans, Europeans, Russians, Iranians and Arabs all played their part. Competing interests, misreadings and indecision were on display when the uprising began in March 2011. Western governments were still dazzled by the speed and drama of the early Arab spring. Dictators had been overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt, protests were shaking Bahrain, and Nato was poised to intervene in support of rebels in Libya fighting Muammar Gaddafi.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 12, 2015

Syria: how far will Barack Obama go? -- Tom McCarthy, The Guardian

What strategy for Tikrit, Mosul and beyond? -- Alia Brahimi, Al Jazeera

How ISIS Ate Al Qaeda -- Olivier Guitta, Daily Beast

Secret North Korea talks? -- Bill Gertz, Washington Times

Secret meetings in Pakistan expose obstacles to Afghan peace talks -- Jibran Ahmad and Mehreen Zahra-Malik, Reuters

Who wants what in Libya? -- BBC

Is Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood ready to fight? -- Louisa Loveluck, CSM

Dear Greece: World War II Ended 70 Years Ago -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Is Putin ill? 'Everything is fine' despite canceled meetings and old photos -- Alec Luhn, The Guardian

There's a theory that someone killed prominent Putin critic Nemstov in front of the Kremlin to scare Putin -- Christian Lowe and Jason Bush, Reuters

Putin's grab of Crimea still rankles West. How about Crimeans? -- Fred Weir, CSM

Is Venezuela Really an ‘Extraordinary Threat’ to the United States? -- Greg Grandin, The Nation

Letter Won't Change Iran's Game Plan -- Stephen L. carter, Bloomberg

Obama Administration Falls Into GOP’s Iran Letter Trap -- Tim Mak, Daily Beast

Does Obama have a private e-mail account? Why White House won't say. -- Husna Haq, CSM