Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 14, 2018

Fighters from a new border security force under the command of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Hasaka, northeastern Syria, Jan. 20, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said

Peter Apps, Reuters: The U.S. is stuck in Syria — with no mission

In its five months in Syria last year, a single U.S. Marine Corps artillery battalion fired more shells than any equivalent American military unit since Vietnam.

The statistic – revealed this month by the Marine Corps Times – was another reminder of just how violent, out-of-control and complex the largely hidden war in Syria remains. With the support of Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has secured his position and is no longer fighting for his life. But the government in Damascus still lacks control of vast portions of the country, and a complex range of outside actors have found themselves increasingly dragged in.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 14, 2018

The Syrian battlefield is beginning to resemble the Lebanese civil war and Damascus is dominating -- Kamal Alam, Middle East Eye

Syria: You Own It, You Fix It, So Just Rent It -- Thomas Friedman, NYT

Syria's War Is Fueling Three More Conflicts -- Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic

US keen on Russia distancing itself from Iran’s Syrian ambitions -- David P. Goldman, SCMP

Is the Israeli Air Force Losing Its Edge? -- National Interest/Asia Times

The heartbreaking story of Turkey sentencing an American NASA scientist to 7.5 years in prison -- Eugene Chudnovsky, Washington Examiner

Ignore the Olympic Hype on North Korea—Moon Will Likely Go to Pyongyang -- Robert E. Kelly, National Interest

‘Deep down’: Rivalry between Koreas, Japan transcends sports -- Foster Klug and Kim Tong-Hyung, AP

Japan’s North Korea Strategy: A Solid Defense -- Phillip Orchard, Geopolitical Futures

The Pyeongchang Olympics is North Korea's Winter Offensive -- Nicholas Eberstadt, National Interest

S.Africa crisis: How Zuma reached the brink -- AFP

Why South Africa matters to the world -- Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

Russia’s Clash With the West Is About Geography, Not Ideology -- Benn Steil, Foreign Policy

Putin Is Struggling to Keep His Wars Separate -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg View

Michael Goodwin: Did Hillary Clinton pull off the dirtiest dirty trick in US presidential history? -- Michael Goodwin, New York Post