Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 5, 2019

Image: Turkish armed forces

Aaron Stein, War On The Rocks: The Crisis is Coming: Syria and the End of the U.S.-Turkish Alliance

After almost a year of negotiations to resolve differences over the war in Syria, the United States and Turkey are no closer to reaching agreement on a proposed “safe zone” along the Turkish-Syrian border. In a speech over the weekend, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, again, announced his intention to invade northeastern Syria: “We entered Afrin, Jarablus, and Al-Bab. Now we will enter the east of the Euphrates. We shared this (information) with Russia and the U.S.” Erdogan’s threat came just a few days after Amb. James Jeffrey visited Ankara for inconclusive talks about Syria’s northeast, and on the eve of a follow-on visit by U.S. military delegation to discuss the same topic.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 5, 2019

Understanding the 'S-400 crisis' -- Verda Ozer, Al Jazeera

China Retaliation Is ‘11’ on Scale of 1 to 10, Wall Street Warns -- Felice Maranz, Bloomberg

The tough choices for China over Hong Kong unrest -- AFP

China's Ovverreach Provokes Backlash Across Southeast Asia -- R. Heydarian, Nikkei

Iran Owns the Persian Gulf Now -- Steven Cook, Foreign Policy

Explainer: UAE military drawdown raises stakes in south Yemen -- Ghaida Ghantous, Reuters

US-Israeli missile defense cooperation sends clear message to foes -- Jacob Nagel and Jonathan Schanzer, The Hill

Rwanda's disappearing opposition -- Silja Fröhlich, DW

Will we see a new arms race? That depends on Russia, says NATO chief -- Martin Banks, Defense News

The Old Ultra-Violence in Moscow Solves Nothing and Everything -- Mark Galeotti, Moscow Times

Ukrainian Voters Upend Their Parliament -- Mykola Vorobiov, Jamestown

Volodymyr Zelensky’s Ukraine: first a revolution, now a purge? -- Oliver Carroll, The Independent

Europeans have started to change their minds on Brexit -- Christopher Caldwell, The Spectator

Not Even Dollars Can Save Venezuelans From Inflation’s Wrath -- Alex Vasquez, Bloomberg

Trump's Economy Leaves Democrats Speechless -- Ramesh Ponnuru, Bloomberg View

500 years on, how Magellan's voyage changed the world -- AFP