Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 17, 2019

Kaitlan Collins, CNN: Inside Mike Pence's 9 hours in Turkey

KAnkara, Turkey (CNN)When Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shook hands on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday before boarding separate planes, the view inside the White House was grim.

President Donald Trump's top two aides were bound for Turkey to broker a ceasefire that, just hours earlier, Trump said wasn't America's responsibility. The White House had been fielding angry calls from Republican lawmakers and evangelicals for days over his decision to abruptly withdraw American troops from northeastern Syria, accusing Trump of abandoning an ally.

Multiple administration officials privately said they had low expectations for the meeting's outcome, and two remarked they weren't sure why an American delegation was being sent to the Turkish capital in the first place.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 17, 2019

Turkey, US sign ceasefire deal to let Kurds withdraw -- Raziye Akkoc & Shaun Tandon, DW

Pence Just Ratified All of Turkey’s War Aims in Syria -- Spencer Ackerman, Daily Beast

Trump's Turkey deal hands power to Ankara and leaves Syrian Kurds for dead -- Julian Borger, The Guardian

Turkey could seize US nukes stored at air base -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times

Turkey's operation into Syria exposed Europe's double standards -- Ali Bakeer, Al Jazeera

Putin Is the New King of Syria -- Jonathan Spyer, Wall Street Journal

America's Options for the Middle East After Syria -- Seth Frantzman, RCW

ISIS Is Already Rising From the Ashes. Turkey’s Invasion of Syria Will Fuel a Jihadi Resurgence -- Brian Katz and Michael Carpenter, Foreign affairs

Signposts for an Islamic State Comeback in Iraq -- Michael Knights, RCW

What's new in this Brexit deal? -- DW

Kim Jong Un’s Horseback Stunt Is No Laughing Matter -- Ankit Panda, The Diplomat

FATF: Can Pakistan avoid global watchdog's terror 'black list?' -- Shamil Shams, DW

Catalan protests: Why is Barcelona burning? -- BBC

A compromise is needed on trans-Atlantic defense cooperation -- Hans Binnendijk and Jim Townsend, Defense News

Mounting Venezuela exodus sparks fears of rising xenophobia -- Christine Armario, AP