Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 3, 2018

Markos Kounalakis, Washington Monthly: Trump’s Risky Strategy Toward Iran

The president is playing a high-stakes game of diplomatic chicken. If he miscalculates, it can lead to deadly consequences.

Iran and America entered a new and intense phase of word-slinging and trash-talking this week. Wars of words can sometimes lead to shooting wars or they can raise the stakes so high that negotiations become necessary to skirt conflict.

Which will it be with Iran? Future talks or terror?

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 3, 2018

Iran tensions ratchet as US scraps treaty -- Joe Gould, Defense News

China stakes out a role for itself in post-war Syria -- Logan Pauley, Asia Times

Syria Is the Epicenter of Great Power Competition -- T.J. Gilmore, US Naval Institute

Can Iraq's new leaders deliver stability after months of deadlock? -- Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

The Worst Totalitarian Since Mao: Xi Jinping is ushering in an era of Chinese illiberalism, and with it a chilling clampdown on freedoms. -- Nick Taber, American Conservative

All of Vietnam’s power is in Trong’s hands -- David Hutt, Asia Times

Deepening farm crisis in India could hurt Modi's re-election bid -- Rajendra Jadhav and Mayank Bhardwaj, Reuters

US, Pakistani foreign ministers fail to break Afghanistan impasse -- Anwar Iqbal, DW

North and South Korea’s New Military Agreement -- Sukjoon Yoon, The Diplomat

Restive DR Congo's big challenge -- fulfilling economic potential -- AFP

'Jewel of Roman Empire' faces Libya dangers -- AFP

Boris Johnson makes very public pitch to challenge Theresa May to be prime minister -- Samantha Hawley, ABC News Online

Defining what it means to be German in a unified country -- Klaus Krämer, DW

Russia’s Growing Threat to North Europe -- The Economist

The US-Chinese Trade War Begins -- Börje Ljunggren, Yale Global