Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis -- February 19, 2018

Steven Metz, WPR: What Syria Reveals About the Future of War

Week by week, month by month, the horrific war in Syria grinds on, killing combatants from many countries and, most tragic of all, Syrian civilians—the unintended or, in many cases, intended victims of the warring parties. As Liz Sly and Loveday Morris wrote recently in The Washington Post, “A war that began with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad is rapidly descending into a global scramble for control over what remains of the broken country of Syria, risking a wider conflict. Under skies crowded by the warplanes of half a dozen countries, an assortment of factions backed by rival powers are battling one another in a dizzying array of combinations.”

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis -- February 19, 2018

Israel Is Tight-Rope Walking Around Another Devastating Conflict -- A. Ahronheim, Jerusalem Post

Afrin puts Turkish-Iranian-Russian mistrust on full display -- Al-Monitor

Lebanon: Russia's New Outpost in the Middle East? -- Michael Peck, National Interest

With eye on elections, Turkey’s Erdogan stokes fears of Kurds to amplify anti-American message -- Guy Taylor, The Washington Times

After the Protests, Iranian Anger Still Simmers -- Barbara Slavin, American Conservative

Expanding the ISIS Brand -- Colin P. Clarke, National Interest

China’s step into the maelstrom of the Middle East -- James M Dorsey, East Asian Forum

New Questions for Brunei and its ties to China -- Eugen Iladi, RCW

Suddenly Putin’s Worried About Online Attacks in the Run-Up to His Own Presidential Election -- Amy Knight, Daily Beast

Latvia's banking sector rocked by U.S. probe, central bank chief's detention -- Gederts Gelzis, Reuters

The Guardian view on Holocaust responsibility: Poland cannot wholly escape blame -- Guardian Editorial

Venezuela's new bitcoin: an ingenious plan or worthless cryptocurrency? -- John Otis, The Guardian

Witnessing Venezuela's Exodus -- Vanessa Neumann, The Cipher Brief

America's diplomatic absence is worrying the security community -- Nic Robertson, CNN

Donald Trump's Guantanamo Bay -- Stephanie March, ABC News Online

How the oil boom is changing U.S. energy policy -- Kevin Book, Axios