Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 4, 2015

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Saudi King Salman in October. PHOTO: CARLO ALLEGRI/PRESS POOL

Jay Solomon, WSJ: Obama’s Mideast Plan Faces a New Hurdle

U.S. officials concerned that Iran-Saudi conflict could undermine broader efforts in Middle East

WASHINGTON—The sudden upheaval that shattered ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the weekend also saddled the Obama administration with unexpected complications in what already was a long-shot bid to ease the crises of the Middle East.

Administration officials voiced rising concern that the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia could undermine their broader regional efforts—in particular ending the Syrian civil war.

Secretary of State John Kerry had been pressing Tehran and Riyadh for months to establish a direct diplomatic channel to address the Syria conflict.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 4, 2015

Iran hard-liners see Saudi Embassy attack as a win-win. Are they wrong? -- Scott Peterson, CSM

Why Iran is Pressing Its Luck -- Max Boot, Commentary

Saudi executions signal royal worries -- Bruce Reidel, Al-Monitor

The Quiet Crisis in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia -- Karl Vick, Time

Tehran and Riyadh are two murderous theocracies -- Kersten Knipp, DW

Sunnis and Shiites: Islam's ancient divide -- AFP

Saudi Arabia’s Barbaric Executions -- New York Times editorial

As Saudi Arabia severs ties with Iran, questions loom in volatile region -- Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN

The ‘marriage of convenience’ between Saddam Hussein’s men and Islamic State -- Mohamad Bazzi, Reuters

Taliban Surged in 2015, but ISIS is Moving in on Its Turf -- Foreign Policy

Deterring Chinese Aggression -- Nathan Jennings, Small Wars Journal

Africa's Boom Is Over -- Rick Rowden, Foreign Policy

A British exit could be just the start of Europe’s unraveling in 2016 -- Griff Witte, Washington Post

Khodorkovsky: From Russian Multi-Billionaire to ‘Murderer’? -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast

Czarist echo? Russian Orthodox Church drives to restore its political clout -- Fred Weir, CSM

Putin Makes His Isolationism Official -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

5 Expert Predictions for the Global Economy in 2016 -- James McBride, The Atlantic