Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 15, 2019

How ISIS was defeated after an devastating and relentless air and ground offensive

Daily Mail: How ISIS was brought to its knees: Bloodthirsty army of jihadis was an hour from Baghdad and declared a Caliphate - but a grinding military campaign opposed by many has now cornered the last 1,000 in a small Syrian town

* It is estimated that 367,965 people were killed in Syria in the fight against ISIS
* Some 30,000 to 70,000 civilians are believed to have been slaughtered in Iraq
* Now ISIS stands on the verge of defeat in the crumbling town of Baghouz in Syria

Rampaging ISIS fighters were just an hour from Baghdad when a fleet of US Apache attack helicopters were scrambled to check their devastating advance with a hail of bullets and bombs.

The army of bloodthirsty jihadhis had routed the far from fearless Iraqi forces in a lightning fast and cruel campaign that saw them take a swathe of key towns including Mosul and Kirkut in less than two weeks.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 15, 2019

Islamic State’s Caliphate Is Nearing Defeat -- The Economist

After Isis: what happens to the foreign nationals who went to Syria? -- Bethan McKernan and Peter Beaumont, The Guardian

Will Yemen Be Trump’s First Veto? -- Curt Mills, National Interest

How New Silk Roads are shaping Southwest Asia -- Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

Economic chill hits China as trade talks continue -- Gordon Watts, Asia Times

Can US-China trade relations ever be the same after the trade war? -- Nassim Khadem, ABC News Online

China's Peacekeepers: New Resources, New Values -- Christoph Zuercher, Nikkei

Pakistani terrorists made a big mistake: Modi -- Saikat Datta, Asia Times

The Growing Entente between India and Japan -- Thomas F. Lynch, National Interest

Why the West Should Not Underestimate China-Russia Military Ties -- Franz-Stefan Gady, EastWest.ngo

On Point: Russian Hostile Meddling Backfires in Northern Europe -- Austin Bay, Strategy Page

A Nuclear Arms Race Will Produce No Winners -- Mikhail Gorbachev, Moscow Times

Trump's Border Battle Is Just Beginning -- Daniel McCarthy, National Interest

Make El Chapo pay for a border wall? Don’t count on it -- Tom Hays, AP