Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 20, 2017

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a reception ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 20, 2017.Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

Tobin Harshaw, Bloomberg: Trump Hits the Road. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

A Q-and-A with former national security aide Loren DeJonge Schulman, who went on lots of bumpy adventures with Barack Obama.

President Donald Trump is off to the Middle East, Brussels and Sicily -- not to mention a quick chat with Pope Francis. Especially for man who has made plain his distaste for foreign travel, nine days is a long time for the full presidential coterie to be on the road. What could possibly go wrong? To get some insight into that rather tired joke, I decided to talk to somebody who's been through all the practical hurdles of such trips more than once.

Loren DeJonge Schulman, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, was senior adviser to former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and was thus part of President Barack Obama's coterie around the globe: East Asia, Mexico, Russia and three of Trump's destinations: Saudi Arabia, Italy and Belgium. Here's an edited version of our discussion.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 20, 2017

Trump’s International Trip: Sending a Message to Iran and Extremists -- Jason M. Brodsky, RCD

How the United States Is Turning Saudi Arabia Into a Military Juggernaut -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest

Iran bets its future on ‘reformist’ Rouhani -- Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

After Rouhani re-election, expect hardliners to 'settle scores' -- Parisa Hafezi, Reuters

What’s next for Iran after President Hassan Rouhani’s win? -- Jon Gambrell, AP

Why has Iran wrecked its economy to fund war in Syria? -- David Goldman, Asia Times

Who benefits from a weak and divided Yemen? -- Al Jazeera

Turkmenistan: Is Corruption Probe Sign of Government Panic? -- Eurasianet.org

Bundeswehr, Turkey must keep up Incirlik talks -- Volker Witting, DW

Ukraine's Independence Is Still Essential To U.S. Security And Stability -- Victor Rud, Forbes

How Kosovo Poisoned America's Relationship with Russia -- Ted Galen Carpenter, National Interest

We Asked: What’s Next for Macedonia? -- Balkanist

Macron is bad news for Britain’s borders -- Chris Murray, Politico

Has Venezuela reached a tipping point? (Video) -- Upfront/Al Jazeera

Interview with Julian Assange: 'WikiLeaks Will Always Be the Bad Boy' -- Spiegel Online