Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 28, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) looks back at U.S. President Barack Obama (L) as they arrive with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit plenary session at the International Convention Center at Yanqi Lake, in Beijing, China. REUTERS/PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/POOL (CHINA - TAGS: POLITICS BUSINESS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Peter Apps, Reuters: Is Vladimir Putin deliberately destabilizing U.S. politics?

When WikiLeaks dumped tens of thousands of often embarrassing internal Democratic Party emails, it didn’t take long for the finger to be pointed at Moscow.

In many ways, that should hardly be surprising. The distinctly idiosyncratic dynamic between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has long been a topic of fascination for pundits. Some of the Republican presidential candidate’s approaches and statements – particularly questioning the U.S. commitment to NATO – are almost certainly appealing to Moscow.

The Russian intelligence services have a largely deserved reputation for excellence when it comes to cyber-spying, not to mention dirty political tricks. And, perhaps most importantly of all, a growing number of Western officials and security experts are increasingly convinced that Russia is doing everything it can to politically destabilize the West.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 28, 2016

Russian Meddling in U.S. Election - Cyberwarfare? -- Alex Mitchell & Alex Schulz, VOX

AP EXPLAINS: Why Syria's al-Qaida may be considering a split -- Bassem Mroue, AP

Islamic fundamentalists have a special loathing for Christianity -- Damian Thompson, Spectator

Quietly, Iran keeps taking hostages, exposing an internal rift -- Howard LaFranchi, CSM

Why the situation in Turkey may only get worse -- Lauren Bohn and Elmira Bayrasli, Reuters

Will Turkey be expelled from NATO? -- Semih Idiz, Al-Monitor

Why Palestinians are on the verge of civil war -- Benny Avni, NYPost

Why has Russia teamed up with China in the South China Sea? -- Ben Rosen, CSM

Shamefare: How Vietnam Could Push Back Against China in the South China Sea -- Harry J. Kazianis, National Interest

China and Japan have long, close ties, that even WW2 sensitivities can't shake -- Aza Wee Sile, CNBC

Unstable Nepal not good for India -- M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times

Facing North Korea's Nuclear Reality -- Rodger Baker, Stratfor

Trump gets media, Clinton to play his tune -- Joe Concha, The Hill

Trump Shows the Flaws of NSA Surveillance -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

Can the World Deal With a New Bank Crisis? -- Satyajit Das, Bloomberg