Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 8, 2017

Reuters

Clay Dillow, CNBC: Iran-North Korea's 'axis of evil' may be Trump's biggest threat

* During President Trump's address at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday, he called on North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons program.
* Trump wants to walk away from the Iran nuclear accord, an action that can bring the two pariah states close together in a collaborative military relationship.
* Military ties between North Korea and Iran go back to the 1980s.

With sanctions and rhetoric, President Donald Trump may be pushing North Korea and Iran closer together. On Wednesday, while in Seoul on his Asia tour, three U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups displayed military strength nearby, while Trump gave dire warnings to North Korea's leader to abandon nuclear weapons. "Do not underestimate us, and do not try us," Trump said while addressing the National Assembly. It's a dangerous game of brinkmanship.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 8, 2017

ISIS and Iran: The new axis of power -- Faisal Al-Shammeri, Al Arabiya

Iraq-Turkey border confusion: Who's in charge here? -- Mahmut Bozarslan, Al-Monitor

What Hariri's Resignation Means For Lebanon -- Bilal Saab, Foreign Affairs

Why Relying on China to Stop North Korea May Not Work -- Mark Landler and Jane Perlez, New York Times

Pleasantries aside, Trump edging toward ‘containment’ of China -- Frank Chen, Asia Times

Will Trump take a stand on Southeast Asia? -- DAvid Hutt, Asia Times

Is the Political Class Drifting Toward War with North Korea? -- Evan Osnos, New Yorker

Yes, Daesh is beaten, but religious extremism is not -- Osama Al-Sharif, Arab News

Some blame Saudis as Lebanon PM resigns; others accuse Iran -- Lewis Sanders IV, DW

Lebanon crisis: Iran-Saudi power struggle over Hariri -- Ali Younes & Shafik Mandhai, Al Jazeera

The Promising Crisis in Saudi Arabia -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg

One year after demonetization – Has India eliminated 'black money'? -- Murali Krishnan, DW

Catalan Separatists Don't Get a Martyrdom Boost -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Is NATO doing enough to pressure Russia over Ukraine? -- Teri Schultz, DW

Russia's Role in Securing Asia's Prosperity -- Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg