Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 1, 2016

The Guardian: What will happen in 2016?

Space explorers, genetic scientists, US voters, terrorists and hackers look set to dominate our world next year – but don’t rule out the odd pleasant surprise

Never make predictions, especially about the future. So said Mark Twain, Yogi Berra or Niels Bohr – or possibly all three.

But if you must, there are really only two options: play safe and go for the obvious, or come up with forecasts so giddily optimistic that no one will take you seriously.

Using the former approach, 2016 will produce more tragedy in Syria and Yemen, an uninterrupted stream of refugees into Europe, another iteration of the Grexit crisis, deepening drought in the Chinese east and American west, and further hacking misadventure on both state and corporate levels. And an awful lot of summits to try to deal with all of the above.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 1, 2016

RT’s special report on 2015: Rise of ISIS, Russia not so isolated, EU migrant crisis -- RT

Richard Engel Offers 10 Predictions for 2016 -- Richard Engel, NBC

Goodbye to 2015, a year of absurdity and overreach -- George Will, Washington Post

Five Words? Next Year Will Be Worse -- Lee Smith, Weekly Standard

Cheap Oil Is Story Of The Year -- Stephen Moore, American Spectator

West Grapples for a Response to Islamic State -- Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ

Here's the biggest sign ISIS will be weakened in 2016 -- Armin Rosen, Business Insider

Is Iran already preparing for the fall of Bashar al-Assad? -- Max Fisher, VOX

This was the year Yemen was destroyed -- Samuel Oakford, VICE News

Arab Spring, a need for re-awakening -- Geoffrey Aronson, Al Jazeera

Africa's election year 2015: A long way to democracy? -- Madelaine Meier, DW

This small-island nation is crucial to controlling the Asia-Pacific chessboard -- Global Risk Insights

Migrant Crisis, Populist Politics, Russian Moves Set To Haunt EU In 2016 -- Tony Wesolowsky, RFE

Economy, More Than Terrorism, Is Concern for Politically Active Americans -- Michael Bowman, VOA

A new year for new crises: Troubling national security trends are set to intersect -- Ken Allard, Washington Times

Why Team Obama’s Israel spying should be a major scandal -- New York Post editorial

Why Would Anyone Want a Firearm? -- Charles Cooke, NRO