Joel Weickgenant, RCW
The West priced a victory over history into its calculations and erred. It was not viewed as a peaceful expansion, and Russia -- which began a military modernization program in the latter part of the last decade -- now looms across an eastern NATO edge comprising a number of countries of scant population or negligible, for now, military means.
A. Issacharoff, Times of Israel
Terror group uses tax money, donations from well-meaning countries eager to ease hardship for Gazans, to fund its military build-up.
N. Nougayrede, Guardian
The US president has had harsh words for his Nato allies. With luck they will galvanise Britain, France and Germany into action.
Takamitsu Sawa, Japan Times
It is no exaggeration to say that household consumer spending has not grown at all even though three years have passed since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his Abenomics economic policy.
Jeffrey Lewis, FP
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Pyongyang wants weapons capable of attacking the United States.
Der Spiegel
With her refugee policies, Chancellor Merkel has isolated Germany to a greater degree than any of her predecessors. The Balkan Route has been closed down against her will and many EU leaders believe her overtures to Turkey are delusional.
Doug Saunders, Globe and Mail
Kurds in Syria and Iraq are our most important allies in Syria’s civil war, and are key to finding a peaceful settlement to that conflict. By turning them into enemies strictly because they threatened his own grandiose political ambitions, Mr. Erdogan has destroyed the unified and open Turkey he earlier helped to create. And he has done so using the tools not just of authoritarianism but now, by silencing the media, of totalitarianism. It is time to stop treating Turkey as an ally... Читать дальше...
Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times
The Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, has campaigned hard against refugees streaming into the country, mostly from Syria and Iraq, and it has surged in public opinion polls from about 3% last summer to as high as 20% ahead of elections in three of Germany's 16 states. That is far above the 4.7% the AfD won in the 2013 federal election just half a year after it was formed mainly to oppose Europe's single currency, the euro, and the expensive European Union financial bailouts to Greece.
Neil Swidey, Boston Globe
It took us five years to talk honestly about Vietnam. It’s time to do that with Iraq, and Paul Bremer’s tenure is the place to begin.
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR
Five years after an earthquake and tsunami caused a series of meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan, there are signs of progress. Many workers cleaning up the ruined plant no longer need to suit up in full respirators. Some nearby villages that were evacuated are open to residents. But there are still plenty of problems.
Akbar Ganji, National Interest
Hassan Rouhani was elected Iran’s president in June 2013 based on his promise of reaching a nuclear agreement and improving the relations with the West. He delivered on his promise, and in the process a close working relationship developed between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of State John Kerry. The two diplomats have been discussing various issues, including the cease-fire in Syria. On March 6, President Rouhani said, “We can authorize... Читать дальше...
Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic
It is unclear what being right on Iraq would mean for your likelihood of being right on Syria, since the contexts in question are, in a way, opposites: Civil war in Iraq began after the United States intervened. Civil war in Syria happened in the absence of intervention. History will have to judge, but it may actually be the case that being right on Iraq made you more likely to be wrong about subsequent interventions. The tragedy of Iraq, if you weren’t careful, was likely... Читать дальше...
David Kramer, American Int.
Faced with its own long-standing territorial issues with Russia, Japan under Shinzo Abe is holding a strong line against the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Julian Pecquet, Al-Monitor
In play are 72 F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft whose sale has been held up for the past two years, in part due to objections from Israel that the sale could erode its so-called Qualitative Military Edge (QME) in the region. Key lawmakers want the sale to move forward regardless, citing US demands that the Gulf countries do more to fight the Islamic State.
Appelbaum, NYT
He is well on his way to becoming the first Republican nominee in nearly a century who has called for higher tariffs, or import taxes, as a broad defense against low-cost imports. And there is a good chance he would face a Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who has expressed fewer reservations about trade, inverting a longstanding political dynamic.
Kevin Sullivan, RealClearWorld
That Hezbollah's involvement in Saudi Arabia's costly campaign in Yemen -- in addition to its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad -- would compel the kingdom to punish Lebanon suggests that a kind of butterfly effect is now occurring across much of the Middle East, one that is unpredictable, dangerous, and touches the lives of millions.