Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 11, 2016

Sam Heller, VICE News: Syrian Fighters Say the Ceasefire Is Getting Shakier and Shakier

Syria under the ceasefire that began last month is a less violent place — but it's still at war. Just a strange, halfway war.

Most of the country's front lines are quiet, thanks to the internationally-sponsored cessation of hostilities that remains in effect nationwide among all parties, except for the Islamic State group and the al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front. Yet fighting has continued to rage on a handful of key fronts, and some now fear that a battle south of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, is spiraling out of control.

"South Aleppo seems on the verge of being more than just a flare-up," a Western diplomat, who requested anonymity to speak freely, told VICE News.

Among the foreign diplomats, representatives of armed factions, and Syrian opposition politicians who spoke to VICE News, one opinion was shared almost universally: So long as the United States and Russia remain invested in a political solution to the war, the ceasefire signed in Geneva in February will not break down completely.

But for some fighters on the ground, that ceasefire has just not happened.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 11, 2016

Iraqi Kurdistan’s Economy Is a Worse Threat Than ISIS -- Ranj Alaaldin and Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Daily Beast

Analysis: Nuclear deal puts US between Iran and a hard place -- Matthew Lee, AP

Why Victory in Mosul Won’t Solve America’s Iraq Conundrum -- Joshua Rovner and Caitlin Talmadge, Lawfare

Does the removal of top jihadists weaken ISIL? -- Hassan Hassan, The National

Can The Islamic State Be Defeated? – Analysis -- DR. Sanu Kainikara, Eurasia Review

Let’s end America’s hopeless war for the Middle East -- Andrew J. Bacevich, Politico

Obama’s Biggest Mistake Isn’t Libya. It’s Syria. -- Josh Rogin, Bloomberg

The Islamic State of Molenbeek -- Roger Cohen, New York Times

What's Hiding Behind Russia's Calls for Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh -- Fatima Tlisova and Mehdi Jedinia, VOA

Putin’s war of smoke and mirrors -- Eerik-Niiles Kross, Politico

As Ukraine PM resigns, is government running out of time? -- Fred Weir, CSM

Why Has the Ukrainian Prime Minister Suddenly Resigned? -- Nolan Peterson Newsweek

Brazil’s nightmare: No end in sight -- Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post

WATCH: Exclusive Interview by Glenn Greenwald with Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva -- Glen Greenwald, The Intercept

Will President Obama Visit Hiroshima? -- NPR