Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 13, 2018

By: PIBtech on 14:00 / comment : 0 commentaries opinions and editorials

Tobin Harshaw, Bloomberg: Trump's No Isolationist. Is That a Good Thing?

Remember when Donald Trump's unlikely presidential victory meant a return to Republican isolationism of the 1920s and '30s? Or worse? Well, a funny thing happened on our way to the Coolidge administration: The guy who pledged to put America First has been pretty active about doing so, and putting U.S. blood and treasure on the line, around the globe.

From the stepped-up fights against terrorists in the Middle East and Afghanistan to the brinksmanship with North Korea to the decision to send "defensive" weapons to Ukraine, the White House has belied the idea that the U.S. is best off turning its back on allies, enemies and the rest of the globe.

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Want to Strike North Korea? It’s Not Going to Go the Way You Think -- Van Jackson, Politico

U.S. and allies must work more closely on North Korea: Japan expert -- Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters

US touts military build-up against Iran in Syria -- Bryant Harris, Al-Monitor

The Iran Deal Lives Another Day -- Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic

Killing the Iran Nuclear Agreement with a Thousand Cuts -- Paul R. Pillar, National Interest

Ensnared by conflict, Kashmir’s youth face grim future -- Nusrath Sidiq, Asia Times

Why Pakistan continues to provide safe haven for the Afghan Taliban -- Vanda Felbab-Brown, Channel News Asia

The Coming India-Russia Split -- The Diplomat

Russians asking for help after swarming drone attacks -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times

Examination 1977: A look back at the exam that changed the face of China forever -- Christina Zhou, ABC News Online

Why Is Japan Populist-Free? -- Ian Buruma, Project Syndicate

Egypt-Sudan spat muddies prospects for deal on Nile Dam -- Foreign Policy

How Ukraine became a strain on U.S.-Russia relations -- PBS NewsHour

Trump-Trudeau love-in threatened as Canada attacks US over trade -- Ashifa Kassam, The Guardian

America's Most Pressing Threat? Climate Change -- James Stavridis, Bloomberg

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 12, 2018

By: PIBtech on 16:00 / comment : 0 commentaries opinions and editorials

Peter J. Brown, Asia Times: North Korea fuels arms, missile, anti-missile race in region and beyond

Despite the Olympic breather, Pyongyang’s threats are prompting new deployments and upping interest in new technologies

The recent olive branch extended by North Korea does not defuse Northeast Asia’s security crisis; the region remains in the midst of a dual missile and anti-missile defense race. Many US military leaders see North Korea’s Winter Olympics participation as nothing more than a breathing space, buying dictator Kim Jong-un extra time to work up his missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Regional uncertainties were underscored by one sentence uttered on New Year’s Day by Kim: “The [North Korean] nuclear-weapons research sector and the rocket industry should mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.” This stark reminder of Kim’s goal overshadows all future diplomacy.

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The risk bombing North Korea holds for US interests in Asia -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times

North Korea's Rebuke of the Status Quo -- Michael Heazle, Interpreter

Turkey Breaks With Iran and Russia -- Jacob L. Shapiro, Geopolitical Futures

Crisis Alert: Iran's Population Is under Duress, and America Isn't Helping -- Emma M. Ashford, National Interest

Balance of Power, Balance of Resolve: How Iran is Competing with the United States in the Middle East -- Alex Deep, Modern War Institute

Could ISIL stage a comeback? -- Megan O'Toole, Al Jazeera

Can the ‘Indo-Pacific’ compete with China? -- Tetsuo Kotani, Japan Times

Macron, Not Merkel, Is Europe's Most Powerful Leader -- Ronald Tiersky, RCW

Those Who Wrote Off Merkel Were Wrong Again -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

Here's What's in Store for U.S.-Russia Relations -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest

Why relations between Slovenia and Croatia are all at sea -- The Economist

Latin America is poised for a turnaround in 2018 -- Jerry Haar, Miami Herald

Argentina's Macri Has a Tough Road Ahead -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg

The World Is Reacting to Trump's Words—Not His Actions -- Christopher A. Preble, National Interest

Silicon Valley Will Pay the Price for Its Lefty Leanings -- Megan McArdle, Bloomberg

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 10, 2018

By: PIBtech on 16:00 / comment : 0 commentaries opinions and editorials

Simon Palamar, Toronto Star: Kim Jong Un is in the nuclear drivers’ seat

North Korea has changed the rules with the success of its nuclear program. Sticking to the position that talks will only happen on the condition that Pyongyang agrees that those talks will end in denuclearization leaves Washington with few options.

Donald Trump may have a bigger nuclear button than Kim Jong Un, but North Korea is driving events right now.

While Kim and Trump’s back-and-forth is disturbing, their rhetoric is aimed at domestic audiences. And while we’ve focused on the threats and insults that these two leaders throw at each other, we’ve missed the larger story: namely, that the North Korean government holds the upper hand in its decades-old dispute with the United States and that since this summer — with only small exceptions — the U.S. and its allies have been reacting to North Korean policy. Kim Jong Un is shaping the conflict — and its possible solutions — right now.

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Do Korea talks put initiative back with Seoul and Pyongyang? -- Esther Felden, DW

North Korea talks: We've been here before and it doesn't end well -- Stan Grant, ABC News Online

North and South Korea Have a Breakthrough. What Next? -- Joseph Cirincione, National Interest

North Korea Does Not Seriously Seek Unification -- Robert E. Kelly, The Interpreter

The Evolution of the North Korea Crisis through China's Eyes -- Lyle J. Goldstein, National Interest

Iran’s Economy (A Quick Take) -- Bloomberg

Cracks in Russia-Iran alliance open options for Trump -- Daily Mail/Reuters

UN's Syria envoy speaks to Euronews about seven-year conflict (Video) -- Euronews

Can Afghanistan join China-Pakistan Economic Corridor? -- Masood Saifullah, DW

A Peace Dilemma: Afghan Peace Talks Require a New Approach -- Abdul Rahman Rahmani, The Strategy Page

Is Japan Ready for the Quad? Opportunities and Challenges for Tokyo in a Changing Indo-Pacific -- Yuki Tatsumi, War On The Rocks

The Geopolitics of the Beijing-Moscow Consensus -- Enrico Cau, The Diplomat

The Pensions That Ate Latin America -- Mac Margolis, Bloomberg

On Military Force, Trump Is Just Like Obama -- A.D. Miller & R. Sokolsky, Newsweek

Needed: A National Security Strategy Rooted in Geopolitics -- Francis P. Sempa, RCD

Trump's National Security Strategy: 10 Big Priorities -- Colin Dueck, RCD