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

John Beck, VICE News: The Year the Whole World Got Involved in Syria

TForeign intervention in Syria's seemingly intractable conflict is nothing new. Opponents of President Bashar al-Assad — notably the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — have been supporting rebel groups since an armed uprising erupted in 2011 in response to security forces' brutal treatment of Arab Spring-inspired protest. Regime allies Russia, Iran and Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah have shored up government forces via various routes.

Neighboring Israel has occasionally shelled or launched airstrikes inside Syria for the past three years, usually targeting weapons thought to have been destined for longtime foe Hezbollah.

But this year, the fifth in what has become the worst humanitarian crisis of our time, saw an unprecedented level of international involvement.

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

This is a crucial and underappreciated point about why defeating ISIS is so difficult -- Max Fisher, VOX

Peace process in Syria: Talk, talk, kill, kill -- James Denselow, Al Jazeera

Does Russia have an exit strategy for the Middle East? -- Paul Iddon, Rudaw

Analysis By Assassinating Prominent Rebel, Russia Seeks to Dictate Who Will Run Syria -- Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz

What does Zahran Alloush's death tell us? -- Rudaw

A Syrian Rebel Leader Is Killed: Zahran Allouch, the head of the Army of Islam, was killed in an airstrike. -- Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic

ISIS in Gaza -- Sarah Helm, New York Review Of Books

Why capturing Helmand is top of the Taliban’s strategic goals -- Borhan Osman, The Guardian

Analysis: The Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan -- Dawood Azami, Al Jazeera

Pakistan’s transformation into a police state -- Saroop Ijaz, Express Tribune

From terror to trade: Eight reasons Pakistanis now want a peace process from Modi and Sharif -- Raza Rumi, Quartz

Taiwan's Next President Must Protect its Sovereignty -- Eric Huang, The Diplomat

China’s Tantrum on Taiwan Arms Deal -- NYT editorial

China's slowdown and Asia's growth -- Shang-Jin Wei, Straits Times

Japan grows an island to check China’s territorial ambitions -- Robin Harding, Financial Times

Nigeria running out of time to deliver on vow to defeat Boko Haram -- Jan-Philipp Scholz, DW

Will a brave new Spain rise from the election stalemate? -- Ana Romero, The Guardian

Obama Having Trouble Bringing Iran Nuclear Deal Home -- Rick Moran, PJMedia

A Fearful Congress Sits Out the War Against ISIS -- New York Times editorial