Friday, March 27, 2015

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 27, 2015

Shi’ite Muslim rebels hold up their weapons during a rally against air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen, March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Alastair Crooke, Huffington Post: Why the Conflicts in Tikrit and Yemen Signal a New Middle Eastern War

BEIRUT -- With the Iranian involvement against the Islamic State in the assault on Tikrit, and the Saudi invasion of Yemen to stem the tide of Iranian influence, we have entered a new Middle Eastern war.

Tikrit has become something of an augury and symbol of ISIS' prospective fate. The suggestion in much of the commentaries is that the Iranian-directed offensive in Tikrit has stalled. Indeed one can detect a certain pleasurable rubbing of hands at the very prospect of an Iranian setback.

"If this leads to the Iranians forced to concede defeat, that would be a satisfactory outcome," one U.S. defense official told the The Daily Beast. An ISIS victory, then, is "satisfactory" to the U.S.?

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 27, 2015

The U.S. Just Took Ownership of a New Iraq War -- Jacob Siegel & Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast

Why are 10 countries attacking Yemen? -- Brookings

How Yemen became the front line of a Mideast-wide war -- Mohamad Bazz, Reuters

Yemen is a defining moment for King Salman -- Michael Stephens, Al Jazeera

Ahead of nuclear deadline, Iran and US grope for trust -- Scott Peterson, CSM

A Dangerous Escalation in Iraq -- New York Times editorial

Is a Dangerous Arms Race Brewing in Asia? -- Real Clear Defense Video

China's scrappiest enemy is a familiar foe -- Kyle Mizokami, The Week

Nigeria’s oil: A broken oil industry is the source of many woes -- The Economist

The Rise of the African Street -- Dane Erickson, The American Interest

Putin's Economic Team Plays Houdini -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Oligarch? -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast

Descent to Oblivion: The Death Wish of a Germanwings Co-Pilot -- Spiegel Online

Are We Sure the Co-Pilot Was a Killer? -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

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