Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 4, 2016

New York Times Editorial: More Carnage in Syria

Secretary of State John Kerry and Staffan de Mistura, a United Nations envoy, are trying again to revive the cease-fire in Syria that has collapsed in significant parts of the country, including Aleppo. The goal is urgent, but the diplomacy will not have a chance if Russia will not, or cannot, persuade its ally Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, to stop using his air force to bomb opposition targets.

Few expected the cease-fire, which was brokered two months ago by the United States and Russia, to last as long as it did. It gave many civilians a respite from a civil war that has reportedly killed up to 470,000 people over five years, driven millions from their homes, overwhelmed Europe with refugees and allowed the Islamic State and other terrorists to gain control of swaths of the country. But in recent weeks the fighting has resumed, particularly in Aleppo, where more than 200 people have died in the last week, most in areas held by anti-Assad rebels.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 4, 2016

Another Troop Death: The Evolution of US Engagement in Iraq -- Justin Fishel and Elizabeth McLaughlin, ABC news

No, Iraq Doesn't Need Another Saddam Hussein -- Michael Rubin, Newsweek

Saudi prince makes bold challenges to kingdom's old ways -- Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean and Angus McDowall, Reuters

Can Iran Trust Russia? -- Akbar Ganji, National Interest

Why big European banks are reluctant to return to Iran -- Barbara Slavin, Al-Monitor

Why Daesh failed to gain a foothold in Algeria -- Al Bawaba

Unpredictable Trump could swing either way on China -- Global Times editorial

What to read into a growing alliance between China and Pakistan -- Anja Manuel, Reuters

Beijing’s terror conundrum -- Praveen Swami, Indian Express

Kim Jong-un Seeks to Cement Power at First North Korean Congress in 36 Years -- Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times

Bangladesh in deep trouble -- Gwynne Dyer, Japan Times

Why Ukraine's NATO membership is not in America's interests -- Josh Cohen, Reuters

How important is London's mayoral election? -- Jason Thomson, Christian Science Monitor

Venezuela’s embattled president -- Jörg Jelinnek, DW

Mexico, on the Edge of Now -- Reva Goujon, Stratfor