Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 10, 2015

Mark Thompson, Time: Can the U.S. Military Train the Iraqi Army to Victory Over ISIS?

Obama’s decides to dispatch 450 more to speed things up

The U.S. military likes to say that when it comes to war, the enemy gets a vote. President Obama made that clear Wednesday as he continued to retool his strategy to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria. The biggest tweak to U.S. policy was his decision to boost the 3,180 U.S. trainers and advisers in Iraq by as many as 450 additional troops.

The White House has made it clear U.S. troops will be limited to advising and training Iraqi forces and will not be sent into combat against ISIS. “To improve the capabilities and effectiveness of partners on the ground, the President authorized the deployment of up to 450 additional U.S. military personnel to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces at Taqaddum military base in eastern Anbar province,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. But some on Capitol Hill were not impressed by Obama’s reinforcements. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, a senior member of the armed services committee, called them a “knee-jerk reaction” to recent poor showings by the Iraqi army, rather than a “long-term strategy.”

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 10, 2015

More US troops to Iraq: How it will work -- Lolita Baldor, AP

How US Cluster Bombs Banned by Most Countries Ended Up in Yemen -- Bryan Schatz, Mother Jones

Why Turkey voted against authoritarianism -- David Ignatius, WP

Analysts: Amid Mideast Turmoil, Narrow Israeli Coalition Stable -- Scott Bobb, VOA

Everything you need to know about the South China Sea conflict – in under five minutes -- William Johnson, Reuters

Managing disputes with China -- Thomas J. Christensen, Japan Times/Bloomberg

Army's Myanmar Strike is a Message to Pakistan, Other Terror-Harbouring Nations: Rajyavardhan Rathore -- Neha Singh, IBTimes

Russia is not weak - Aleksashenko, Brookings Institution

Putin’s Warlords Slip Out of Control -- Adrian Karatnycky, NYT

What Game Is Greece Playing? -- Mark Buchanan, Bloomberg

Are Boston terrorism cases a trend? -- Shelley Murphy and Peter Schworm, Boston Globe