Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 9, 2018

President Donald Trump displays a presidential memorandum after announcing his intent to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Pepe Escobar, Asia Times: The art of breaking a deal

Donald Trump's decision to leave the JCPOA will not open the path to an Iranian nuclear weapon

Breaking the unwritten rules of global diplomacy, the Trump administration is now in violation of the multilateral Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or in plain language the Iran nuclear deal. Nuance is notoriously absent in what can only be described as a unilateral hard exit.

All suspended United States sanctions against Iran will be reinstated, and harsh additional ones will be imposed.

It does not matter that the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, repeatedly confirmed Iran was complying with the JCPOA as verified by 11 detailed reports since January 2016. Even US Secretary of Defense James Mattis vouched for the stringent verification mechanisms.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 9, 2018

Iran's Nuclear Deal Was Doomed from the Start -- Michael Rubin, National Interest

How could the Iran deal be salvaged? -- AFP

How Trump's Iran deal exit could hit aviation, oil and car industries -- Rob Davies, The Guardian

How did Iranians react to Trump's decision on the nuclear deal? -- Al Jazeera

The U.S. and Iran: Back to Square One -- Mohammed Ayoob, The Cipher Brief

Around the Halls: Brookings experts discuss the implications of President Trump’s Iran nuclear deal announcement -- Brookings

Iran deal: Israel has found the friend it's been hoping for in Donald Trump -- Philip Williams, ABC News Online

China, North Korea Hold Second Summit -- Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat

The Case for North Korea’s Liberalization -- Phillip Orchard, Geopolitical Futures

Africa is NOT rising or falling -- Lyal White and Liezl Rees, Daily Maverick

Renewed Tensions Between Uganda and Rwanda Will Ripple Across East Africa -- Andrew Green, WPR

Russian pipe dream hits raw European nerve -- Jo Harper, DW

The Phantom Borders With Russia That NATO Won’t Defend -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast

A color revolution in the Caucasus puts Russia in a dilemma -- M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times

Freeloading Europe unprepared for Trump’s America -- Dalibor Rohac, Politico.eu

Business Hates Mexico’s Presidential Front-Runner. And He Doesn’t Care -- Nacha Cattan and Monte Reel, Bloomberg

Is a Multipolar World Emerging? -- Jacob L. Shapiro, Brookings