Niall Ferguson, Boston Globe: Civil war in Iraq? Quite possibly. World War III? Forget about it.
The United States may now face pandemonium in Iraq, but Iran will not necessarily be the beneficiary.
My response to the news that US forces had assassinated Iran’s paramilitary foreign intelligence chief Major General Qassim Soleimani on Thursday was, “Good riddance. Now what?”
No tears should be shed for Soleimani. As the mastermind of Iran’s multiple proxy wars beyond the Islamic Republic’s borders, he had the blood of countless people on his hands, including hundreds of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Syria by the Shia militias he helped to train and finance. Second only to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in terms of his personal power, Soleimani had come to personify the ruthless, bloodthirsty spirit of the regime in Tehran.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 6, 2020
Soleimani is dead, but the enemy still stands -- Alireza Nader, FDD
How the Soleimani Killing Changes the Game -- Daniel Byman, Vox
The Mideast Just Turned More Dangerous -- Steven Cook, Council on Foreign Relations
Trump May Have Restored Deterrence -- David Petraeus with Lara Seligman, Foreign Policy
Iran's military threat: The US can't protect everything all the time -- Brad Lendon, CNN
Oil, gas companies must prepare for Iran’s retaliation -- Federica Russo, Asia Times
Why a U.S.-Iran War Is Not Going to Happen -- James Holmes, National Interest
Trump gambles big as commander in chief -- AFP
Trump tests Congress’ war powers with strike against Iran -- Lisa Mascaro and Deb Riechmann, AP
America's long tug of war over presidential military power -- AFP
Turkey looks to Libya to break its growing isolation in the region -- Murat Yesiltas, Middle East Eye
China's Challenge to America’s Political and Economic Liberal Order -- Farah N. Jan and Justin Melnick, National Interest
Global Youth Protests at Risk of Spreading to China -- Bloomberg
View from bunker: Kim weighs provocations in 2020 -- Andrew Salmon, Asia Times
