Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- September 5, 2018

Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front are seen in May 2015 in Ariha, in Syria’s Idlib provinceAmmar Abdullah / Reuters

Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic: The Worst May Be Yet to Come in Syria

As Bashar al-Assad and Russia prepare to assault Idlib, there are up to 3 million people with nowhere to go.

In the fall of 2016, Syrian troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes and Iran-backed militias, marched on Aleppo and ultimately captured the city of 200,000 people, leaving a trail of destruction and human suffering. In February of this year, they besieged Eastern Ghouta, a region outside Damascus, and bombed it into submission, again leaving accounts of suffering in the area of 400,000 people. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb—the most widely cited estimate puts the lives lost at half a million, though there’s no way to know for sure; the UN stopped counting years ago. Yet Syria’s already horrific battles, and the human suffering they’ve caused, may pale compared to what comes next: Assad’s forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, are surrounding Idlib, in northwest Syria, preparing for an onslaught against the last major rebel-held area. Population: 3 million.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- September 5, 2018

Russia Goes for Another Pyrrhic Victory in Syria -- Pavel K. Baev, Eurasia Daily Monitor

Russia softens up west for bloodbath it is planning in Syria’s Idlib province -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

What should Iraq's government do to address public anger? -- Harith Hasan, Al Jazeera

The Middle East’s Tinderbox Is Heating Up Again -- Fred Kaplan, Slate

The State of Play in Sino-DPRK Relations -- Yun Sun, 38 North

How Donald Trump still could win a Nobel Prize -- Harry J. Kazianis, The Hill

Mike Pompeo visits Islamabad: Can the US and Pakistan reset bilateral ties? -- Shamil Shams, DW

Afghan mujahideen: from holy warriors to political chiefs -- AFP

Huge defense outlays hit funding for Pakistani provinces -- F.M. Shakil, Asia Times

Russia is rehearsing for a global war, and giving early warning to the West -- Stephen Blank, ABC News Online

Putin’s Swashbuckling Spies Are Hurting Him -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Zakharchenko's Assassination Won't Bring Peace to Ukraine -- Moscow Times editorial

Pope Francis faces worst crisis of his five-year papacy -- Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian

Argentina economic crisis is about more than inflation -- Teresa Bo, Al Jazeera

Clash of Civilizations—or Clash Within Civilizations? -- Seth Cropsey & Harry Halem, The American Interest