Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 9, 2019

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One while flying between El Paso, Texas and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, August 7. Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb

Heather Scott, Asia Times: Trump flirts with currency war in escalating conflict with China

‘Not thrilled’ with strong dollar, president tweets

President Donald Trump on Thursday took a step closer to sparking a currency war in the escalating conflict with China, saying he is not happy with the strong US dollar.

Trump has pursued a policy of maximum pressure, including subjecting all Chinese goods to punitive tariffs as of September 1, and accusing Beijing of manipulating its currency to gain a competitive edge.

In a move that breaks with decades of US policy, Trump on Thursday seemed to call for a weaker dollar to help American companies compete.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 9, 2019

How currency war could affect yuan’s global status -- Federica Russo, Asia Times

China owes its rapid economic rise not to state control, but to its unique form of fiscal federalism -- Zhang Jun, SCMP

Syria safe zone plan may just be wishful thinking -- Martin Chulov and Julian Borger, The Guardian

Turkey-Kurd Dispute Shows Why the U.S. Should Leave Syria -- Jerrod A. Laber, RCD

Is North Korea Still Interested in Working-Level Talks? -- Khang Vu, The Interpreter

Why North Korea is a different kind of cyberthreat -- Andrew Eversden, fifth Domain

India Just Put Democracy at Risk Across South Asia -- Jonah Blank, The Atlantic

What It's Like Inside Kashmir During the Shutdown -- Fahad Shah, Time

The eastern DRC’s most active rebel group just got a bit more dangerous -- David Bruckmeier, African Arguments

20 years of Vladimir Putin destabilizing the world -- Miodrag Soric, DW

Vladimir Putin, a president who doesn't play fair -- Alexander Görlach, DW

The Kremlin under siege -- Roman Dobrokhotov, Al Jazeera

Delusions About Russia -- Dimitri K. Simes, National Interest

Independence for Scotland is inevitable – we need a plan for it -- Simon Jenkins, The Guardian

A Death Knell for the International Norms of Cyber Conflict -- Pukhraj Singh, Modern War Institute