Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 10, 2017

Michael Knights, BBC/Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Mosul defeat a blow to IS, but not the end

On Monday, so-called Islamic State (IS) was evicted from the last parcel of land that it controlled in the city of Mosul. A battle that began 266 days ago has finally concluded with intense house-to-house fighting and a last stand on the western bank of the River Tigris.

In a sense, the battle ended where it started.

On 6 June 2014, IS forces staged a diversionary attack in northern Mosul that was intended to draw Iraqi forces away from a prison break in a town called Badush, 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city.
Just over three years later, IS made its last stand there.

The reduction of the last IS pocket in Mosul was a true battle of annihilation. Unlike in prior battles, such as Tikrit and Falluja, the siege did not witness a breakout or withdrawal by IS fighters.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 10, 2017

The battle to defeat IS in Syria (Video) -- Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4 News

Tough Road Ahead, Even as IS Grip on Mosul and Raqqa Falters -- Warren Strobel and Fatima Bhojani, US News and World Report/Reuters

Mosul completely freed from ISIS: What's next for the city left in ruins? -- By Angela Dewan and Tim Lister, CNN

The Next Phase of Middle East Conflict -- Shlomo Ben-Ami, Project Syndicate

The Kremlin’s contradictory behavior in Syria -- Anton Mardasov, Al Monitor

Bombs Will Not Defeat ISIS (but Maybe the Internet Will) --Abdalaziz Alhamza, New York Times

Terrorists and Territory: What Jordan Can Teach Us about Managing Jihadists -- Jacob Olidort, Lawfare

North Korea Will Not Stop Its Weapons Development -- Daniel P. Grant, The Diplomat

Trump and Xi Brush Aside North Korea Divide in ‘Excellent’ Meeting -- Peter Martin and Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg

Securing U.S. Bases in the Pacific: A New Era of Instability? -- Robert Farley, Diplomat

China in the Russian Far East: A Geopolitical Time Bomb? -- Ivan Tselichtchev, South China Morning Post

Like it or not, Rwanda is Africa's future -- Simon Allison, Mail & Guardian

The Dark Side to Macron's Bright Idea in France -- Megan McArdle, Bloomberg

Was a Trump Doctrine Unveiled in Poland? -- Daniel Gouré, RCD

Does Trump have a point about Obama and Russia? -- Susan Glasser, Politico

Was the G-20 Summit Really Worth It? -- Florian Gathmann and Philipp Wittrock, Spiegel Online