Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 22, 2021

 

Holly Ellyatt, CNBC: The world is worried Putin is about to invade Ukraine. Here’s why 

* Russian President Vladimir Putin is being watched closely by experts and officials. 

* They fear that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine. 

* Tens of thousands of Russian troops have reportedly gathered at the border with Ukraine. 

* Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a part of Ukraine, in 2014. 

President Vladimir Putin is being watched closely by experts and officials who fear Russia might be planning a military escalation with its neighbor Ukraine. 

Tens of thousands of Russian troops have reportedly gathered at the border with Ukraine, and experts fear Russia could be about to stage a repeat of its 2014 invasion and annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which prompted global outrage and sanctions on Moscow.  

Read more .... 

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 22, 2021  

What Vladimir Putin Is Up To in Ukraine -- Ian Bremmer, Time  

Russia Won’t Let Ukraine Go Without a Fight -- Michael Kimmage and Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs  

The Ramifications of Russia’s Reckless Anti-Satellite Test -- Malcolm Davis, ASPI  

The Pandemic’s Next Turn Hinges on Three Unknowns -- Sarah Zhang, Defense One  

The new COVID war: Redefining vaccinated -- Caitlin Owens, Axios  

COVID: Is Germany set to introduce compulsory vaccination? -- William Noah Glucroft, DW  

North Korea’s Push for Reunification Isn’t Just Empty Rhetoric -- Benjamin R. Young, WPR  

Biden’s Dirty Deal With the Taliban -- Daniel Greenfield, Frontpage  

War by Timeframe: Responding to China’s Pacing Challenge -- Michael C. Horowitz, War On The Rocks 

Australia-China Tensions Simmer Amid Trade War and AUKUS -- William Yuen Yee, Jamstown Foundation  

China's Peng Shuai scandal is far from over -- Kendall Baker, Axios  

Egypt Weighs Impact of Ethiopia's Civil War -- Baher al-Kady, Al Monitor  

EXPLAINER: What does PM’s reinstatement mean for Sudan? -- Joseph Krauss, AP  

Sudan: Is Hamdok's return a signal of democracy or military victory? -- Jennifer Holleis, DW  

Lukashenko’s Failed Gambit -- Andrew Lohsen, CSIS  

Senators Have More Than 900 Ideas To Fix America’s Security -- Defense One

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 18, 2020

 

Luke Harding, The Guardian: Cyber-attack is brutal reminder of the Russia problem facing Joe Biden

Analysis: new president must find a way to contain such hyper-aggressive behaviour from Moscow 

It is Joe Biden’s biggest foreign policy headache. As well as confronting the Covid pandemic, the president-elect has to deal with a more familiar problem: Russia. 

Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 US presidential election cast a shadow over US politics for four long years. And now the Kremlin appears to have struck again. 

This week details emerged of an unprecedented cyber-attack against US government departments. 

Beginning in March, suspected Russian hackers penetrated Washington’s signature institutions. 

Read more .... 

 Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 18, 2020 

Biden vows to make cybersecurity top priority of administration -- Al Jazeera 

How 'cyber equivalent of Pearl Harbor' unfolded at the 'perfect time for a perfect storm': Feds may NEVER know true scale of 9-month-long Russian hack that breached US nuclear agencies, Pentagon government departments and Fortune 500 companies, experts say -- Daily Mail 

Can Biden Unwind Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Venezuela and Iran? -- Judah Grunstein, WPR

The Taiwan ‘prize’ and the US-China rivalry in the Pacific -- Sheldon Chanel, Al Jazeera 

Arab Spring: 10 moments, 10 years on -- BBC 

Cutting Off Saudi Arabia Would Only Embolden its Worst Impulses -- Maya Carlin, National Interest

Tunisia still faces major economic challenges, a decade after the revolution -- France 24 

Are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan untying the knot? -- Jennifer Holleis, DW 

Why Belarusians Are Turning Against Russia -- Artyom Shraibman, Moscow Times 

What do US sanctions on Turkey mean for NATO? -- Alex Gatopoulos, Al Jazeera 

How will Turkey respond to US sanctions? -- Inside Story/Al Jazeera 

How EU and US are trying to rein in tech giants -- AFP 

Why Retired Generals Rarely Lead the Pentagon -- Dwight Stirling, AP 

Coronavirus: What does Emmanuel Macron's infection mean for other EU leaders? -- Barbara Wesel, DW 

”Now It’s Totally Dead”: Can Small Businesses Survive COVID’s Economic Wrecking Ball? -- William Cohan, Vanity Fair 

US experts debate: Who should be next in line for vaccine? -- Mike Stobbe, AP 

Katalin Kariko, the scientist behind the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine -- France 24

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 21, 2020

These figures show the year-on-year change in GDP for some of the world's richest countries, with China's economy larger than it was a year ago while Western economies including Britain and America have seen massive decline 

Edward Lucas, Daily Mail: How sickening that the dragon is roaring back: China's economy is booming during the pandemic it unleashed 

How galling it is to see China bouncing back from the global pandemic that it unleashed. 

While the rest of the world wrestles with fear, mistrust, unemployment, recession, stagnation, non-Covid health catastrophes, countless blighted lives and a ‘second wave’ of the virus, China is set to enter 2021 stronger than it was in January 2020. 

That was the month when Chinese complacency, deceit and the ruthless diktat of the Communist Party allowed coronavirus to get its first foothold among humankind. 

Read more .... 

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 21, 2020 

China has the world's largest navy — what now for the US? -- Wesley Rahn, DW 

China Keeps Inching Closer to Taiwan -- Michael Beckley, Foreign Policy 

China’s provocations propel decision to include Australia in upcoming Malabar exercise -- Bradley Bowman and Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (ret.), Defense News 

Growing North Korean Nuclear Threat Awaits US Election Winner -- Deb Riechmann, AP 

Kyrgyz electoral fiasco involves familiar faces -- Matteo Fumagalli, East Asia Forum 

All Eyes on Suga's Foreign Policy Agenda -- Satohiro Akimoto, Nikkei 

How Russia Views Afghanistan Today -- Nurlan Aliyev, War On The Rocks 

Police brutality is just tip of the iceberg for protesters in Nigeria -- Jason Burke, The Guardian 

End the American military presence in Somalia -- Robert Moore, The Hill 

Sudan is removed from the terror list. Now what? -- Cameron Hudson, Atlantic Council 

Former top CIA analyst on al Qaeda, Iraq and 9/11 -- CBS 

Is France at war with its Muslims? -- Al Jazeera 

What New World Order? The Case For A Stronger Germany -- Michael Stürmer, World Crunch 

As the Arctic's attractions mount, Greenland is a security black hole -- Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Reuters 

The US is taking on Google in a huge antitrust case. It could change the face of online search -- Katharine Kemp, ABC News (Australia)

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 19, 2020

BBC: Covid-19 pandemic: Tracking the global coronavirus outbreak 

Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with over 40 million confirmed cases in 189 countries and more than one million deaths. 

The virus is surging in many regions and some countries that had apparent success in suppressing initial outbreaks are also seeing infections rise again. 

Read more .... 

 Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 19, 2020 

Covid: What are the lockdown rules in place across Europe? -- BBC 

China's economy was first in to Covid crisis – and is first out -- Larry Elliott, The Guardian 

Is the world suffering from pandemic fatigue? -- Al Jazeera 

Who Will Win Nagorno-Karabakh? -- Stratfor Worldview 

Armenian president: 'Turkey has a completely destructive role in Nagorno-Karabakh' -- France 24 

Do Not Expect a Rush of Arms Sale to Iran -- Ellie Geranmayeh, ECFR 

Amid Iran Talks, China Continues Gulf Outreach -- Sabena Siddiqui, Al Monitor 

Are Egypt-Russia naval drills in Black Sea message to Ankara? -- Muhammed Magdy, Al-Monitor

After more than 40 years of conflict, Afghans say preventing next war as vital as ending this one -- Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press 

Thailand Spirals Toward Outright Conflict -- Joshua Kurlantzick, CFR 

Thailand's protests and their digital dimension -- Rodion Ebbighausen, DW 

Equatorial Guinea: New documentary explores one of the world's oldest dictatorships -- DW 

Is China really about to invade Taiwan? -- RT 

A New Normal for U.S. China Policy? -- A ChinaFile Conversation 

UK: Is Scotland on course to leave Britain? -- Alasdair Soussi, Al Jazeera 

French Teacher Beheaded: A New Attack on Freedom of Speech -- Le Monde

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- February 22, 2011

Moammar Gaddafi Must Pay For Atrocities -- Washington Post Editorial

REPORTS FROM Libya Monday were sketchy and confused, but one conclusion appeared certain: The beleaguered dictatorship of Moammar Gaddafi was waging war against its own people and committing atrocities that demand not just condemnation but action by the outside world. Al-Jazeera reported that warplanes had joined security forces in attacking anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Tripoli; human rights groups said hundreds had been killed in clashes in the country's east. Libya's own delegation to the United Nations described the regime's actions as genocide and asked for international intervention.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

The End of a Libyan Crime Family: They might hold out temporarily, but it’s over for the Qaddafi clan. -- Michael C. Moynihan, Reason

Libya: ‘No-Fly’ Zone in Context -- J. E. Dyer, Commentary Magazine

Bloodshed in Libya: The Impotence of the West -- Carsten Volkery, Spiegel Online

Revolution and the Muslim World -- George Friedman, Real Clear World/Stratfor

The Arab Revolution: Revolution: 1848 and 2011 -- Robert Zaretsky, Le Monde

How Obama Lost Karzai: The road out of Afghanistan runs through two presidents who just don't get along. -- Ahmed Rashid, Foreign Policy

What does it really mean that Iran sent ships through the Suez Canal? -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

State: CIA or not, Davis still has immunity -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

How Labour let in 3 million immigrants, in defiance of the overwhelming wishes of the British people -- Sir Andrew Green, The Daily Mail

Asia’s Opium Resurgence -- Tom Fawthrop, The Diplomat

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- February 21, 2011

The Shattered Myth Of A Moderate Qaddafi Heir -- Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy

As violence grows in Libya, an urban myth -- one that has been passed around diplomatic circles for the last half decade -- has been effectively shattered: that Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, is the moderate, Western, reform-oriented heir that London, Paris, and Washington have been waiting for.

By now, you'll have seen Saif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, the second oldest son of the Libyan leader, on air defending the brutal decades-long rule of his father. In a speech that had echoes of his dad's long and rambling incoherence, Saif blaimed the ongoing protests on everyone from criminals to Islamists. He promised that Qaddafi would fight to the last protestor.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Libya on the brink -- Blake Hounshell, Foreign Policy

Why Yemen's youths are not bowing to government pressure, violence -- Laura Kasinof, Christian Science Monitor

The Cairo connection -- Amitav Acharya, Times of India

UPDATED: The strange case of Raymond Davis, a ‘strategic corporal’ in Pakistan -- Robert Haddick, Small Wars Journal

Al Qaeda's Sputnik Moment -- Washington Times editorial

Start bringing terrorists to Gitmo again -- Marc Thiessen, Washington Post

Why the U.S. Should Engage the Muslim Brotherhood -- Philip Mudd, The Atlantic

No more Western hugs for Russia's rulers -- Mikhail Kasyanov, Vladimir Milov, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov, Washington Post

Pentagon Turns Eyes Toward Asia -- Richard Weitz, The Dilomat

China, the elephant in the global economic-recovery room -- Doug Saunders, Globe And Mail

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials On The Unrest In Libya

Libya's oil wealth not trickling down -- Robert Plummer, BBC
What next for the 'Mad Dog' of Libya? -- Al Jazeera
Gaddafi will not survive protests: Sahad -- ABC News (Australia)
Libya and the Qaddafis -- Amy Davidson, New Yorker
Libya protests analysis: 'For Muammar Gaddafi it's kill or be killed' -- Ian Black, The Guardian
Is this Libya's new revolution? -- Dirk Vandewalle, CNN

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- December 20, 2010

VILLAGE MEETING - U.S. Air Force Capt. Ryan Weld, center, and Romanian Forces from Task Force Black Scorpion talk with villagers during a shura in Khleqdad Khan, Afghanistan, Dec. 19, 2010. Weld is assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson

Afghan Pluses And Minuses -- Arthur Herman, New York Post

The main point of last week's presidential report on America's progress in Afghanistan was no surprise: We're making "fragile" progress in our nine-year war there, but not enough. Yet it's what President Obama and his advisers aren't saying about Afghanistan that's vital to making up our minds on whether this war is worth it.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Afghanistan Feels the Squeeze -- Newsweek
The darkness of our wars -- James Carroll, Boston.com
How to succeed in Afghanistan -- Robert Grenier, Al Jazeera
Mixed review on Afghanistan -- Miami Herald editorial
Let's Un-Surge in Afghanistan -- Richard Haass, Wall Street Journal
Surge Protector -- Max Boot, Weekly Standard

Is Pakistan Losing Patience in the War on Terror? -- Robert Baer, Time Magazine

No clear path (in Pakistan) -- Huma Yusuf, Dawn

India's defense policy arrives at the crossroads for best buys -- Harsh Pant, Japan Times

New defense strategy in Japan -- Asahi editorial

‘Small war’ in Korea is postponed -- Robert Haddick, Small Wars Journal

France's missile sale to Lebanon: Missiles are but a symptom -- Jerusalem Post editorial

Piracy free-for-all: West turns blind eye, but it shouldn’t be tough to solve this cancer of the seas -- Peter Worthington, Toronto Sun

A democratic test for Venezuela -- Jackson Diehl, Washington Post