Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 21, 2016

Katelyn Fossett, Politico: Is NATO Doomed?

The former NATO second-in-command updates his fictionalized account of a war with Russia—and worries the transatlantic alliance could be gone in as little as five years.

After retiring from NATO as its second highest military official in 2014, Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff penned the ultimate war game: A 500-page fictionalized account of a war between Russia and NATO, titled, simply, War With Russia. The book, in the style of anti-appeasement tracts before World War II, is a plot-propelled warning about the dangers of Western acquiescence complete with romances, a Russian president with a “pale, bloodless face” (known only as Vladimir Vladimirovich) and a group of bumbling, self-interested NATO ambassadors that can’t ever seem to agree on a course of action soon enough.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 21, 2016

Germany's Nightmare, Merkel's Nightmare -- Severin Weiland and Philipp Wittrock, Spiegel Online

An attack on German stability -- Volker Wagener, DW

Germany is facing a ticking time bomb of rage -- Ed West, Spectator

A Timeline of Recent Terrorist Attacks in Europe -- Nash Jenkins, Time

Why the Russian Ambassador Became a Target -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Will Putin Use His Ambassador’s Assassination to Gain a Political Edge? -- Roy Gutman and Michael Weiss, Daily Beast

With an eye on China, India steams ahead in the battle for naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean -- Manu Balachandran, Quartz

China’s Anschluss in the South China Sea -- Arthur Herman, NRO

US Basically Admits What Everyone Already Knew About The Afghan War -- Saagar Enjeti, Daily Caller

Why Venezuela Should Default -- Joe Kogan, NYT

Oil and the Arctic: what is at stake -- AFP

The Future of U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation -- Antonio Garza and Stephanie Leutert, Cipher Brief

Trump Inherits ‘The Good War’ -- Emran Feroz, Defense One

The Trump Doctrine: A Work in Progress -- Reva Goujon, Stratfor

Yes, 2016 was bad. Next year could be worse -- Peter Apps, Reuters