Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 26, 2017

President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 20. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Nikolas K. Gvosdev, National Interest: We Still Don't Know How Trump's Administration Will Handle Ukraine

In Kiev, Mattis could provide no definitive answers to questions about what is likely to change.

Last December, in these very pages, I warned that a particular danger the new Trump administration would face in the national security field would be the problem of senior figures issuing “contradictory statements” about U.S. policy, especially in the absence of “effective direction” from the White House. This would lead to uncertainty both within the U.S. government as well as in the capitals of other nations about American intentions—with potentially destabilizing consequences. Unfortunately, over the last several months, we have seen these worries become self-fulfilling prophecies.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 26, 2017

Turkey: In the Eye of the Storm -- Jacob L. Shapiro, Geopolitical Futures

Kidnapped by the Taliban -- Dorothy Wickenden, New Yorker

US misreads rhetoric for reality on North Korea -- Michael Auslin, Nikkei Asian Review

10 Solutions to the North Korea Problem That Won't Work -- Duyeon Kim, National Interest

How the Last War Between China and India Haunts Asia (And the World) -- Robert Farley, National Interest

Why you should care about China’s VPN crackdown -- Omair Uthmani, Asia Times

Djibouti military base highlights China’s African ambitions -- Theo Neethliong, Asia Times

Little progress two years after South Sudan peace deal -- Waakhe Simon Wudu, DW

Angola’s first new president in 38 years is a product of even older politics -- Lynsey Chutel, Quartz

Is Eritrea Finally Opening Up? -- Hayley Elszasz, RCW

Putin pushes west: The Russian thrust into Belarus pressures neighboring NATO members -- Jed Babbin, Washington Times

Collision at Sea -- James Goldrick, Lowy Institute

Banking Against the New Age of Nuclear Terror -- Tobin Harshaw, Bloomberg

Brazilian Politicians Dance Around Reform -- Bloomberg

The Nine Surefire Ways To Fail At Anything -- James Altucher