Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 20, 2016

U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Salman after meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Kevin Lemarque / Reuters

Peter Beinart, The Atlantic: Why Obama Should Veto the Saudi 9/11 Bill

It would be satisfying to watch terror victims haul billionaire princes into court. But what about the consequences?

Bipartisanship has become so rare in Washington that pundits risk forgetting how lousy it can be. In 1964, Democrats and Republicans came together to overwhelmingly pass the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which authorized Lyndon Johnson to use force in Vietnam. The Defense of Marriage Act, which in 1996 made gay marriage illegal under federal law, enjoyed broad bipartisan support too.

It’s worth remembering this when reading about the “unlikely coalition of liberal and conservative senators” including Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz (along with former Senator Hillary Clinton)—that supports the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. The legislation, which in January passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, carves out an exception to a 1976 law that immunizes foreign governments from lawsuits in American courts. The exception would allow Americans injured in terrorist attacks on American soil to sue governments that support terrorism. What that really means, given that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi, and some believe elements of the Saudi government aided the attack, is that victims of September 11 could sue Saudi Arabia.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 20, 2016

How allegations of Saudi Arabia’s ties to 9/11 plotters became a problem for Obama, again -- Adam Taylor, Washington Post

Obama’s visit to ally Saudi Arabia shadowed by tensions with the kingdom -- Greg Jaffe, Washington Post

The teachable moment of Saudi Arabia’s economic threat against the United States -- Daniel Drezner, Washington Post

Gulf Observers: Low Expectations For Obama's GCC Summit -- Awad Mustafa, Defense News

Why Obama Invests So Much in the Saudi Ally He Disdains -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg

The Case for a United Iraq -- David Coghlan, Real Clear Defense

Kurdish Opposition Leader Demirtas: 'Erdogan Wants a Caliphate' -- Interview Conducted by Maximilian Popp, SPiegel Online

Taliban on the Offensive -- Bennett Seftel, The Ciopher Brief

Indonesia's China Strategy: 'Flexible Hedging' -- Tiola Javadi, National Interest

Nigeria's Herdsmen and Farmers Are Locked in a Deadly, Underreported Conflict -- Conor Gaffey, Newsweek

NATO’s First Meeting With Russia in 2 Years -- Marina Koren, The Atlantic

Crimean Bridge Measures the Span of Putin's Ambitions -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

NATO's Southern Exposure: The Real Threats to Europe—and the Alliance -- Christopher S. Chivvis, RAND

Peruvian elections: Another Fujimori in the wings -- Alvaro Vargas llosa, Globe and Mail

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s New York Wins: A Preview of the General Election? -- John Cassidy, New Yorker

The U.S. Begins a Criminal Probe Into the Panama Papers Disclosures -- Rishi Iyengar, Time