Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 29, 2019

Omar Lugo, The Guardian: Guaidó is brave. But Venezuela’s elite will not be easily overthrown

For all the young man’s popularity, the military are behind Maduro. Nothing will change unless they desert him

Venezuela’s generals did not immediately announce where they stood when Juan Guaidó, a young parliamentarian, was sworn in as “interim president” in front of a huge crowd in the streets of Caracas.

It was a largely symbolic assumption of office, since Guaidó has no power to enforce any decisions. But the new champion of the opposition was recognised as “legitimate president” by the administration of Donald Trump and other American and European powers, including the UK.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 29, 2019

As pressure mounts on Venezuela's Maduro, what will the country's military do? -- Carmen Sesin, NBC

If the Army Stands With Maduro, What Is Plan B? -- Patrick J. Buchanan, American Conservative

The Left Keeps Getting Venezuela Wrong -- James Bloodworth, Foreign Policy

Eight days of turmoil in Venezuela -- AFP

Western intervention in Afghanistan is a

failure -- Florian Weigand, DW

'Hopeful Moment': What An 'Afghan-Led, Afghan-Owned' Peace Process Might Look Like -- Ron Synovitz, RFE

Taliban must show real commitment to peace -- The National Editorial

As Washington Exits, Russia's Syria Strategy Comes Under Scrutiny -- Dmitriy Frolovskiy, National Interest

America’s Almost Withdrawal from Syria -- Aaron Stein, War On The Rocks

Iran's Space Odyssey Raises Red Flags for Nuclear Community -- Gawdat Bahgat, National Interest

Iranian parallels hanging over US-North Korea negotiations -- Stephen Bryen, Asia Times

Turkey and the West: What to Expect in 2019? -- Marc Pierini, Carnegie Europe

'Hostage justice': How Japan secures confessions and convictions -- Danielle Demetriou, Al Jazeera

The U.S.-China Trade War Isn’t Going Anywhere -- Michael Schuman, The Atlantic

Welcome to the New Britain, Where Every Week Is Hell -- Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic