America has made too many promises there and must pare down its involvement to a minimum, say two long-time State Department Officials
The U.S. Constitution talks about creating a more perfect Union, not a more perfect world. When, as a country, are we going to remember that? For decades now America has been trapped in a Middle East it cannot transform nor leave, and where bold ambitions and transformational visions more often than not go to die That calls for a cruel and unforgiving assessment of U.S. interests and the smart application of American power and leadership, mixed with a healthy dose of prudence and caution, to protect them. And it mandates avoidance of discretionary enterprises that aren’t connected directly with vital U.S. interests.
We are neither declinists nor isolationists. But based on more than a half century of combined experience working on Middle Eastern issues in the Department of State,
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- November 1, 2016
U.S. has intervened in Syria, but not in the way you think -- Annia Ciezadlo, Syria Deeply/UPI
Why diplomacy is failing in Syria -- Manish Rai, Asia Times
“I Have Outlived My Own Life”: Living Under Siege In Aleppo -- Yasmine Al-Sayyad, New Yorker
The War for Mosul Could Mend Obama's Troubled Iraq Legacy -- Ben Van Heuvelen , Bloomberg
Is Yemen headed for partition? -- Bruce Riedel, Al-Monitor
How Lebanon ended lengthy power vacuum and elected Michel Aoun -- Nicholas Blanford, CSM
The Missing Case for Deterrence and Resolve in Asia -- Hugh White, War on the Rocks
China has a conflict of interest in UN peacekeeping -- Emanuele Scimia Asia Times
Is it time for South Korea to nuke up? -- John Lee, NK News
The Lord's Resistance Army: Still a Threat -- Ledio Cakaj and Roandl Atkinson, Cipher Brief
The Guardian view on Russia: neither a partner nor an enemy -- Guardian editorial
Three Powers Will Shape Future State of World -- Dimitri Tremin, Carnegie Moscow Center
Ukraine's Millionaire Officials Come Out of Hiding -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
In Greece, Property Is Debt -- Nikos Konstandaras, NYT
America's Counterterrorism Allies: What Are They Good For? -- Clint Watts, Lawfare
Podcast: The security threats both candidates are ignoring -- Reuters
