Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 13, 2015

Steven Cook, Council on Foreign Relations: Turkey. At War. With Itself.

In his famous and much-criticized 1993 Foreign Affairs article, “The Clash of Civilizations,” the late Samuel Huntington described Turkey as a “torn country.” For Huntington there is an irreconcilable difference between the Western-style political institutions of the Republic of Turkey and the Islamic cultural and civilizational foundations of Turkish society. It was a controversial assertion in a controversial article, though Turkey’s current prime minister (and political scientist), Ahmet Davutoglu, made a similar claim in his 1984 dissertation. I disagree with both professors. Turkey may not be “torn” in the way that Huntington and Davutoglu believe, but it is tearing itself apart in a war with itself.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 13, 2015

Iraq Should Fear Russia’s Help -- Nussaibah Younis, NYT

There’s More to Putin’s Syria Adventure Than Poking Obama in the Eye -- Emma Ashford, Newsweek

Has Russia saved Lebanon from ISIL? -- Nicholas Blanford, Al Jazeera

Vladimir’s Game -- Richard Fernandez, PJ Media

Exodus to Europe? Despite hardships, most Syrians opt to stay in Turkey. -- Scott Peterson, CSM

Four years after Gadhafi, is Libya better off? -- Mustafa Fetouri, Al-Monitor

In Egypt, elections look set to cement return to the past -- Lin Noueihed and Ali Abdelaty, Reuters

Pakistan’s political economy -- Shahid Kardar, DAWN

U.S. Patrols to Test China’s Pledge on South China Sea Islands -- Jeremy Page, WSJ

What Lies in the South China Sea -- David Feith, WSJ

China urges a reboot of Six Party Talks on North Korea -- Angela Stanzel, Al Jazeera

UK's troubled ties with Saudi Arabia under growing strain -- Ian Black, The Guardian

Violence in El Salvador: Rivers of blood -- The Economist

Will Heads Roll at the Pentagon for the MSF Hospital ‘Mistake’? -- Foreign Policy

Obama’s Doctrine of Restraint -- Roger Cohen, NYT

Sorry, Obama: A Grand Bargain with Iran Was Never Going to Happen -- John Allen Gay, Natonal Interest