Steven Metz, WPR: What Syria Reveals About the Future of War
Week by week, month by month, the horrific war in Syria grinds on, killing combatants from many countries and, most tragic of all, Syrian civilians—the unintended or, in many cases, intended victims of the warring parties. As Liz Sly and Loveday Morris wrote recently in The Washington Post, “A war that began with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad is rapidly descending into a global scramble for control over what remains of the broken country of Syria, risking a wider conflict. Under skies crowded by the warplanes of half a dozen countries, an assortment of factions backed by rival powers are battling one another in a dizzying array of combinations.”
Read more ....
Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis -- February 19, 2018
Israel Is Tight-Rope Walking Around Another Devastating Conflict -- A. Ahronheim, Jerusalem Post
Afrin puts Turkish-Iranian-Russian mistrust on full display -- Al-Monitor
Lebanon: Russia's New Outpost in the Middle East? -- Michael Peck, National Interest
With eye on elections, Turkey’s Erdogan stokes fears of Kurds to amplify anti-American message -- Guy Taylor, The Washington Times
After the Protests, Iranian Anger Still Simmers -- Barbara Slavin, American Conservative
Expanding the ISIS Brand -- Colin P. Clarke, National Interest
China’s step into the maelstrom of the Middle East -- James M Dorsey, East Asian Forum
New Questions for Brunei and its ties to China -- Eugen Iladi, RCW
Suddenly Putin’s Worried About Online Attacks in the Run-Up to His Own Presidential Election -- Amy Knight, Daily Beast
Latvia's banking sector rocked by U.S. probe, central bank chief's detention -- Gederts Gelzis, Reuters
The Guardian view on Holocaust responsibility: Poland cannot wholly escape blame -- Guardian Editorial
Venezuela's new bitcoin: an ingenious plan or worthless cryptocurrency? -- John Otis, The Guardian
Witnessing Venezuela's Exodus -- Vanessa Neumann, The Cipher Brief
America's diplomatic absence is worrying the security community -- Nic Robertson, CNN
Donald Trump's Guantanamo Bay -- Stephanie March, ABC News Online
How the oil boom is changing U.S. energy policy -- Kevin Book, Axios
