Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 12, 2016

Washington Times editorial: John Kerry’s world without borders

Utopia sounds nice, but no one has ever found it

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote poet Robert Frost in a meditation on the competing needs of security and freedom. Borders and boundaries disappear as Planet Earth becomes a smooth blue orb with continents divided only by the seas in the view from space, suggesting that man is one happy family.

But down at street level in the world where men and women actually live, there’s something that does love a wall. There’s a name for the society that is the dream of those say walls are no longer necessary. It’s called Utopia, and no one has ever seen it, even from space.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 12, 2016

Why many of Iran's “moderates” say they prefer Trump to Clinton -- Jeremy Shapiro and Ellie Geranmayeh, VOX

Why Future of War in Syria Depends on Battle for Aleppo -- Sputnik

A diplomatic breakthrough is a long way off in Syria’s deadly war -- Fawaz Gerges, The Guardian

Russia and Syria: The withdrawal that wasn’t -- The Economist

Putin Is Selling A Narrative On Syria And Some Media Organizations Are Buying It -- James Miller, RFE

China Is Building Up Soft Power in Europe -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

China’s propaganda news outlets are absolutely crushing it on Facebook -- Heather Timmons & Josh Horwitz, Quartz

Is There a Secret Deal to End the Korean War? -- Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast

Russia Allegedly Ran a Massive Doping Ring at the 2014 Olympics -- Tina Nguyen, Vanity Fair

Brazil's Mega-Scandal Hits Its Biggest Lender -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg

The Guardian view on Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment: the political system should be on trial, not one woman -- Guardian editorial

After Brazil, Will Venezuela Be Next to Remove Its President? -- Javier Corrales and Diego Recinos, Americas Quarterly

China is buying Canada: Inside the new real estate frenzy -- Charlie Gillis, Chris Sorensen and Nancy Macdonald, Macleans

Free speech is under attack, from Beijing to Istanbul -- Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian

Twitter's Dangerous Stand on Surveillance -- Bloomberg editorial