Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 25, 2015

Anna Mulrine, CSM: For Iraq War veterans, Islamic State adds bitter drop to Memorial Day

Memorial Day comes as the Islamic State makes gains in Iraq, unraveling the work many Iraq War veterans did and forcing them to find deeper meaning in their sacrifice.

Washington — Even in the days before 9/11, David Bellavia imagined what it would be like to be an American soldier.

“Saving Private Ryan” had made an impression on him, and he envisioned, as with the veteran at the film’s end, “being wheeled across some wonderfully manicured cemetery, respected by foreigners” as he surveyed the fruits of liberation his fighting had wrought.

Last week, that vision receded a bit further.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 25, 2015

Veterans Frustrated by Debate on Iraq War -- Rebecca Santana, RCD

Can the Islamic State Survive? -- Ross Douthat, NYT

Who's to blame for Islamic State advances in Iraq? -- Brad Knickerbocker, CSM

Iraq’s Least Worst Options -- Fred Kaplan, Slate

Why did the Taliban go to Tehran? -- Farhad Peikar for Tehran Bureau, The Guardian

Why a forceful U.S. response to China’s artificial island-building won’t float -- William Johnson, Reuters

The New Dictators Rule by Velvet Fist -- Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman, NYT

What Would Happen If Greece Doesn’t Pay the IMF: Q&A -- Nikos Chrysoloras & John Glover, Bloomberg

Why Poland’s presidential election may shake up the European Union -- Ola Cichowlas, Reuters

The West’s Failure of Nerve -- Stephen Blank, Atlantic Council

Did the Mexican Army Just Massacre 42 People? -- Jason McGahan, Daily Beast

Mexico's war on drugs -- Inside Story/Al Jazeera

The Cost of Corruption in Latin America -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg

I’m a veteran, and I hate ‘Happy Memorial Day.’ Here’s why. -- Jennie Haskamp, Washington Post

The Real Memorial Day: Oliver Wendell Holmes's Salute To A Momentous American Anniversary -- Malcolm Jones, Daily Beast