Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 20, 2015

Christian Science Monitor editorial: After Iran, is North Korea next?

Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran is based on faith in Iran changing in 10 to 15 years and becoming less threatening. His approach should now be tested with North Korea.

President Obama took a leap of faith in concluding a nuclear deal with Iran. The deal’s restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program will end in 10 to 15 years. By then, Mr. Obama presumes, Iran will be a different country, one not interested in developing nuclear weapons. While Iran’s differences with the United States and other countries are very real today, he said, “it is possible to change.”

Mark your 2025 calendars to check if Obama will have been right about Iran changing for the better. With a population mostly under 35 years old and very pro-American, Iran does indeed seem ripe “to move toward a more constructive relationship with the world community,” as Obama put it. Half of Iran’s university graduates are women and its semi-competitive election system has helped erode the power of the ruling mullahs since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 20, 2015

Iran Can No Longer Be Contained -- Max Boot, Commentary

Obama's Unsatisfying Answer on Iran -- Bloomberg editorial

Why History Gives Obama the Benefit of the Doubt on Iran -- James Fallow, The Atlantic

Iran deal and Turkey: time for a soft-power reset -- Akin Unver, Al Jazeera

Is the Islamic State about to ditch ‘execution’ videos? Don’t hold your breath. -- Adam Taylor, Washington Post

The Islamic State Comes to Russia? -- Elena Pokalova, War On The Rocks

Inside Hezbollah’s European Plots -- Matthew Levitt, Daily Beast

ISIS, Al Qaeda And Boko Haram: Who Are The Terrorists Responsible For Ruining Our World? -- Rebecca Greig, IBTimes

Nigeria’s Horrors and Hopes -- Gavin Serkin and Chris Kay, Bloomberg

Special Report: The man who cost Greece billions -- Dina Kyriakidou, Reuters

Greece made the wrong choice -- John Lloyd, Reuters

Will tensions with West shutter Russia's 'window on Europe'? -- Fred Weir, CSM

A new era of relations between Washington and Havana -- Peter Kornbluh, Al Jazeera

Amid symbolic opening of Cuban embassy, points of friction remain -- Henry Gass, CSM

Open Cuba Doesn’t Mean Free Cuba -- James Bloodworth, Daily Beast

Was El Chapo Deliberately Released From Prison? -- James Fredrick, The Telegraph

Will the World Ever Boom Again? -- Noah Smith. Bloomberg