Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 9, 2017



John Power, CSM: Why South Korea looks poised to keep trying with North

South Korean President-elect Moon Jae-in has proposed more engagement with North Korea. To his supporters, that may be just one policy plank. But it holds an outsize importance for South Korea’s decades-old alliance with the United States, which is pushing a distinctly harsher strategy to rein in the regime of Kim Jong-un. That’s not to say voters in the South went to the polls determined to usher in an administration friendlier to the North. In one preelection survey, just 18.5 percent of respondents called “national security and liberal democracy” their top concern. More of them named tackling corruption or focusing on the economy. Mr. Moon’s mandate likely has more to do with public antipathy toward conservative politicians after ex-President Park Geun-hye’s scandal-ridden tenure than warmer attitudes toward the North. And his calls for engagement face plenty of opposition at home, as well.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 9, 2017

South Korea Needs a United Front With the U.S. -- Bloomberg editorial

Trump on Collision Course With South Korea's New Leader -- David Sanger, New York Times

Are Cyber Crooks Funding North Korea’s Nukes? -- Kevin Poulsen, Daily Beast

Russia’s Plan To End The Syrian Civil War Is Falling Apart -- Saagar Enjeti, Daily Caller

What US-Kurdish alliance means for ISIS fight, and for Kurds -- CSM

How strong is the US-Kurdish alliance this time? -- Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor

Erdogan's Dangerous Game Against the Kurds -- Michael Rubin, Newsweek

Mosul victory in sight -- at a cost -- Ben Wedeman, CNN

Rouhani’s rivals are making pledges Iran cannot afford -- Bijan Khajehpour, Al Monitor

The decline of South Africa's geostrategic relevance -- Saliem Fakir, Daily Maverick

Putin's Parade Has Been Rained Out -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Why Russia Won't Cave to Western Demands -- Vladimir Frolov, Moscow Times

Macron Has Been Elected, But Not Yet Empowered -- Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, Bloomberg

The Center Holds in France—but for How Long? -- Michael J. Totten, World Affairs

Germany's Enthusiasm for Macron Won't Last -- Clive Crook, Bloomberg View

Does toppling of Chávez statue mean Venezuela has reached a breaking point? -- Virginia López, The Guardian

24 Big Issues the Elites Are Completely Ignoring -- Andrew Bacevich, Tom Dispatch

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