Friday, June 16, 2017

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 16, 2017

Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman presents "Trump: The Art of the Deal" to North Korea's Sports Minister Kim Il Guk. AP

Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast: Dennis Rodman’s North Korea Trip Just Saved the World

When Rodman gave a copy of Trump’s ‘The Art of the Deal’ as a gift in Pyongyang, the implication was clear: it’s time for Trump and Kim to talk.

The man certainly knows how to feed a narrative. Erstwhile basketball great, sometime “Celebrity Apprentice,” and apparent Kim Jong Un buddy Dennis Rodman on Thursday gave North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk a copy of President Trump’s The Art of the Deal—suggesting a negotiated settlement could be had. And in the process, Rodman fed speculation that he had traveled to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as an emissary of the world’s most powerful figure.

Sometimes diplomacy needs a cross-dressing, pierced, tattooed weirdo who has five NBA championship rings and a place in the league’s Hall of Fame.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 16, 2017

U.S. Stands With Qatar's Foes, While Selling F-15s to Qatar -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg

Q&A: US looks to troop surge to win Afghan war -- Kathy Gannon and Amir Shah, AP

The New, Old War in Afghanistan -- Paul McLeary, Foreign Policy

Raqqa: The human cost of degrading the 'Islamic State' -- Lewis Sanders IV, DW

Russia's Baghdadi Claim Needs Verification -- Charles Lister, Middle East Institute

Sissi’s Egypt Is Falling Apart. Will It Explode? -- Tom Stevenson, WPR

Credible EU Defense Means Rethinking Sovereignty -- Claudia Major, Carnegie Europe

The U.S. Sanctions Russia, Europe Says 'Ouch!' -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

The Senate's Message to Russia (and Trump): Congress is wisely reasserting its prerogatives on foreign policy. -- Bloomberg editorial

How should world leaders punish Trump for pulling out of Paris accord? -- Wael Hmaidan, The Guardian

Trump's Cuba Policy Will Fail: The architect of Obama's Cuba opening argues that the president’s rollback is a pointless mistake. -- Ben Rhodes, The Atlantic

Trump Is Right to Reset U.S.-Cuba Policy -- Jose Cardenas, Foreign Policy

How Open Is Cuba After Obama's Cuba Opening?: QuickTake Q&A -- Ezra Fieser, Bloomberg

Dems ask themselves: Has their rhetoric gone too far? -- Alex Roarty, McClatchy News

The Forward Curve for Oil Prices Suddenly Looks Awful for OPEC -- Alex Longley, Bloomberg

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