Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 1, 2017

The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit, January 18, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Hyungwon Kang

Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post: Bigger Pentagon budget ‘could challenge China’

The US military would strengthen its presence in the South China Sea if its budget was sharply increased, posing a major security challenge for China, mainland observers have said.

But Beijing would not drastically increase its military expenditures to catch up, they added.

US President Donald Trump has called for a “historic” increase in military spending, reportedly seeking up to US$54 billion – 10 per cent of the current budget – in additional expenditure. This money would largely come from cutting the budget for diplomacy and environmental protection.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 1, 2017

Is Beijing outflanking the United States in the South China Sea? -- Peter Apps, Reuters

Beijing needs to increase defense spending, Chinese military experts say -- Christopher Diamond, Defense News

What is behind the hostility between Iran and Turkey? -- Birce Bora, Al Jazeera

What King Salman seeks in Asia -- Ankit Panda, Al Jazeera

Kazakhstan May Determine Asia's Future. So Why Isn't America Paying Attention? -- William Courtney, National Interest

NATO's Enormous Arms Clutter: Why More Uniformity Is Needed -- Elisabeth Braw, Foreign Affairs

Forcing the EU to Make the Biggest Decision -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

The Secrets of Russia’s Propaganda War, Revealed -- Alexey Kovalev and Matthew Bodner, The Moscow Times

Demobilising with the FARC's 18th Front -- Al Jazeera

What Is the Trump Way of War? For an Answer, Consider Andrew Jackson -- Paul R. Huard, RCD

Trump's plan to spend more on the military may actually put US national security at greater risk -- Alex Lockie and Paul Szoldra, Business Insider

Trump’s NSC: A Bureaucratic Balancing Act -- Will Edwards, Cipher Brief

New NSC chief pushed Trump to moderate his language on terrorism -- Eliana Johnson, Michael Crowley, and Shane Goldmacher, Politico

The reviews are in. Great speech, what's next? -- Stephen Collinson, CNN

Analysis: A softer Trump wins praise. But will it last? -- AP