Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- September 4, 2018

Vladimir Putin's approval ratings have fallen over unpopular changes to the old-age pension. Photo: Flickr.

Giovanni Pigni, Asia Times: Moscow can handle US sanctions. How far will Washington go?

Washington imposes sanctions on Moscow over the Skripals affair and talks of more. But a stalemate looks likelier than an all-out economic war

More US sanctions are raining down upon Russia. The latest sanctions, which took effect last week, relate to the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, but are only the latest in a long series of measures adopted by the US to punish Vladimir Putin’s Russia for its “malignant activities” around the globe.

That list extends well beyond the Skripals to include the annexation of Crimea and interference in US elections.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- September 4, 2018

Vladivostok talks caught in crosshairs of massive ‘war games’ -- Gordon Watts, Asia Times

The Tiger and the Dragon: India as a Counterbalance to China in the Indo-Pacific -- Peter Valente, Modern War Institute

A US-led Indo-Pacific alliance against China is an outdated idea -- Nikkei Asian Review

Why China Is Wooing Eastern and Central Europe -- John Van Oudenaren, National Interest

Australia Wants to Take Government Surveillance to the Next Level -- The New York Times

Military minds aim to keep Indonesia's Widodo in power -- John McBeth, Asia Times

This Is How America Will Revise Its Approach to Iran -- Seth J. Frantzman, National Interest

Can Trump’s Sanctions Break Iran? -- Hassan Hakimian, Project Syndicate

Four Key Questions About an 'Arab NATO' -- Owen Daniels, RCD

Donetsk attack: Is peace in Eastern Ukraine doomed? -- Mikhail Bushuev & Roman Goncharenko, DW

Why Sweden’s 2018 Elections Matter -- Scott B. MacDonald, National Interest

'Everybody fits in': inside the Canadian cities where minorities are the majority -- Sadiya Ansari, The Guardian

Here’s How to Exit Latin America’s Maze of Corruption -- Carlos Santiso and Benjamin Roseth, America's Quarterly

China-Africa summit: Xi Jinping's promise of billions for projects brings clout and scrutiny -- Bill Birtles, ABC News Online

IMF bailouts — roads to stability or recipes for disaster? -- DW