Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 10, 2017

George Friedman, Geopolitical Futures: North Korea, Nukes and Negotiations

North Korea exposes itself to more risk by obtaining nuclear weapons, but it increases its leverage by being close.

The narrative about North Korea, a narrative I believe to be true and have since early March, is simple: The North Koreans have reached a point in their nuclear and missile programs where they could soon have the capability to strike the United States. The U.S. isn’t prepared to let itself be vulnerable to the whims of what is seen as a dangerously unpredictable regime in Pyongyang. Therefore, the U.S. is prepared to strike at North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- August 10, 2017

North Korea: Are Trump's assumptions about the nuclear threat right? -- BBC

Why North Korea has no interest in talking to the South -- Kim Tong-Hyung, AP

Possible scenarios for next stage of N. Korea crisis -- AFP

Does Pyongyang Have Washington Cornered? -- Wesley

Rahn, DW

What is China's role in the North Korean crisis? -- Esther Felden, DW

Targeting Guam: Will Kim Jong Un do it? -- Geoff Ziezulewicz, Military Times

Are US defences strong enough to ward off North Korean missiles? -- Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

Black flags over Idlib: The jihadi power grab in northwestern Syria -- Aron Lund, IRIN

How ISIL used government workers to control Mosul -- John beck, Al Jazeera

Is Saudi Arabia waging war on its Shia minority? -- Matthias von Hein, DW

Is a second Sino-Indian border war imminent? -- Feng Zhang, The Strategist

China Has Its DARPA, But Does It Have the Right People? -- The Diplomat

The One Big Problem With New Russia Sanctions -- Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Bloomberg

Why Some U.S. Ex-Spies Don't Buy the Russia Story -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

The west is gripped by Venezuela’s problems. Why does it ignore Brazil’s? -- Julia Blunck, The Guardian