Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 29, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace at the Department of State in Washington December 28, 2016. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

Scott Peterson, CSM: For a Mideast roiling with conflict and change, 2017 promises more of same

The conflict with ISIS and even older war in Syria will continue to radiate ferment across a region that will also witness an as-yet unknown Trump effect.

Already in turmoil, the Middle East is set to further transform in 2017, with critical changes likely in many countries throughout the region.

Even as politics and conflicts reach new inflection points, the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump in the White House will add a new ingredient to an already combustible mix.

Here's a brief guide to what took place in 2016 and what to expect in 2017 in Syria, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, and Iran:

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 29, 2016

Kerry Yearns for Peace in a Vanished Middle East -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg

What Was the Point of John Kerry's Israel Lecture? -- Telegraph editorial

Kerry’s Rage Against Israel: The Secretary doesn’t understand why his peace talks failed. -- WSJ editorial

Syria war: How Moscow’s bombing campaign has paid off for Putin -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC

Key to Syrian cease-fire: Sunni rebel groups -- Taylor Luck, CSM

Why Putin Is Winning in Syria -- Rob Dannenberg, Cipher Brief

Can a divided Iraq be reconciled? -- Omar Al Saleh, Al Jazeera

The Arab Spring: Six Years Later -- Joseph V. Micallef, Military.com

9 questions about the UN vote on Israeli settlements you were too embarrassed to ask -- Jennifer Williams, VOX

What do the Israelis and Palestinians want? -- AFP

Afghanistan, India, and Trump -- Rakesh Sood, The Hindu

On China, tweeting is not diplomacy -- Trudy Rubin, Philly.com

The Next South China Sea Flashpoint: Unmanned Systems -- Elsa Kania, The Diplomat

With Trump, nuclear brinkmanship is back -- Peter Apps, Reuters

2016: The year the world stopped caring about refugees -- Anealla Safdar & Patrick Strickland, Al Jazeera