Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 25, 2018

Reuters

Mir Sadat, National Interest: Phase IV Operations: Reconstructing Syria?

Situated between Middle and Near East ﬂashpoints, Syria has been involved in conflicts stretching from Iraq to Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran. Regional conflicts and the Arab Spring also had an undeniable effect on Syria, especially because the country’s civil war represents a larger geostrategic struggle between Great Powers (namely, the United States and Russia) and regional hegemons (Turkey and Iran). For almost seven years, the war has taken an enormous toll on the Syrian people: there has been genocide and other mass atrocities, including multiple chemical attacks and unrelenting aerial bombardments; destruction of major infrastructures; near complete degradation of health services, electricity, water services, sanitation services, critical infrastructures, businesses, and residential neighborhoods in and surrounding the cities of Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and eastern Ghouta; Syria’s Gross Domestic Product tumbled to an estimated $14 billion in 2015, an estimated $46 billion decrease since the 2010 pre-conflict period; Syria now ranks 178th out of 180 countries for corruption and nearly half the population is unemployed; and Syria’s population is fragmented along ethno-religious fault lines which have been intensified by Russian and Iranian interference.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 25, 2018

Eastern Ghouta: What is happening and why -- Al Jazeera

Jordan, Israel hedge their bets in southwest Syria -- Joe

Macaron, Al-Monitor

Palestinian civil war causes suffering in Gaza -- Kenneth Bandler, FOX News

Xi’s lifetime rule makes Taiwan’s unification more unlikely -- Xuan Loc Doan, Asia Times

The militarization of China’s People’s Armed Police -- Zi Yang, Asia Times

Wang Qishan — The pragmatic patriot at Xi Jinping's side -- Frank Sieren, DW

How Beijing weaponizes ‘comfort women’ as propaganda tool -- Jason Morgan, Asia Times

The Egyptian riddle -- Clifford D. May, Washington Times

The Battle Over Nord Stream II -- Rachel Ansley, Atlantic Council

European politics is turning French -- Célia Belin and Ted Reinert, Brookings

Peru’s new president has his hands full and will have to put Venezuela on the back burner -- Andrés Oppenheimer, Miami Herald

What Is a Trade War? Why Economists Are Worried -- Andrew Mayeda and Bryce Baschuk, Time/Bloomberg

Paper tigers? US and China in dispute over tariffs but trade war looks remote -- Edward Helmore, The Guardian

Policy Roundtable: What Is the Future of the Jihadist Movement? -- Texas National Security Review

Who is Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg? -- Darko Janjevic, DW

Fake, manipulated videos are on the rise — are we ready for this media jungle? -- Adam Chiara, The Hill