Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 13, 2017

Hezbollah. YouTube

Sulome Anderson, Esquire: A New War in the Middle East?

On the ground with Hezbollah in South Lebanon.

While America churns in a frenzy of Trump-related news, the Middle East may be quietly devolving into further chaos. In the days since Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri announced his surprise resignation this past weekend, one question has moved quickly to the fore: Is another war brewing in the region?

The question comes, in large part, because of the strange circumstances surrounding Hariri’s resignation on Saturday. In a televised address from Saudi Arabia, Hariri said that he was stepping down because he feared that he would suffer the same fate as his father, Rafic, twelve years ago. In 2005, during his own term as prime minister, the elder Hariri was killed by a massive car bomb in Beirut by operatives alleged to have been working with Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, both of which have strong connections to Iran. For obvious reasons, Saad Hariri has long had a contentious relationship with Hezbollah, which now holds 12 seats in the Lebanese Parliament, and he is known to have significant business ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief regional rival. (He also holds Saudi citizenship.)

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 13, 2017

Profiling Lebanon: The Western Front of a Proxy War -- Kamran Bokhar, Geo-Political Futures

Fears for Lebanese economy if Saudis impose Qatar-style blockade -- Samia Nakhoul, Reuters

Reckoning in Saudi Arabia -- Aaron David Miller & Richard Sokolsky, National Interest

Iran taking Saudi rhetoric, actions seriously -- Ali Hashem, Al-Monitor

Congress abandons constraints on Kurdish aid -- Bryant Harris, Al-Monitor

Why the United States will never leave Yemen -- Farah Najjar, Al Jazeera

U.S.-Philippine Relations Rebound Under Trump -- Bennett Seftel, Cipher Brief

Trump is partly right on unfair trade -- Grant Newsham, Asia Times

Trump and Putin: What Comes Next? -- Nikolas K. Gvosdev, National Interest

Choking on democracy: Why Delhi's air worsens as Beijing's improves -- James Bennett, ABC News Online

How a slip in Bosnia and Herzegovina could unravel Balkan progress -- Dubravka Šuica, Politico

Trump, Brexit and Echoes of World War I -- Tobin Harshaw, Bloomberg

Maduro's Venezuela, When "Democracy" Is Worse Than Dictatorship -- Andrés Hoyos, World Crunch

Canada must ask tough questions before committing to Ukraine mission -- National Post editorial

Experts Meet at UN Geneva to Discuss, Define 'Killer Robots' -- AP

An NSA Breach and the New Hobbesian War on Our Privacy -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg