Новости за 27.08.2016

Sarah Wheaton, Politico
Critics say a new report finding Assad has continued to use chemical weapons undercuts Obama's landmark 2013 deal with Syria.

Rufael Tecle, African Arguments
Unless Europe demands conditions as it re-engages with Eritrea, it will simply be strengthening the very regime responsible for thousands fleeing in the first place.Â

Lucas Della Ventura, The Hill
While the American foreign policy establishment rejects Donald Trump's daily antics and belligerent behavior, his comments on NATO have attracted new criticism on the purpose and actions of the Alliance. If claiming NATO is obsolete and questioning the integrity of Article Vweren't enough, then his startling affinity for President Putin and Russian tampering in U.S. elections have caught all eyes, dragging NATO back to the center stage to dodge rotten tomatoes and expansionist insults. Читать дальше...

Jill Ward, Bloomberg
Britain's voters have spoken, but the issue of inequality isn't going anywhere.

R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs
After simmering for nine months, the tension between Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and the country's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, is coming to a boil.

Michael Auslin, Amer. Ent. Institute
When Hirohito, Japan's Emperor for 63 years, died on January 7, 1989, his youngest brother, the then 73-year old Prince Mikasa, may have been the only person alive who had seen and participated in the enthronement rites for a new monarch. Over the next two years, until December 1990, the new emperor, Akihito, or his representatives participated in no fewer than 30 separate events marking his ascension to the throne, each one an interpretation of a supposedly ancient ceremony... Читать дальше...

Chung-in Moon, The Bulletin
In July, Seoul agreed to US deployment in South Korea of a missile defense system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). The decision precipitated fierce resistance from opposition political parties as well as the Chinese government. Members of opposition parties demanded that the government immediately reverse its decision and enter into consultations with the National Assembly. China urged that deployment be suspended and warned of retaliatory measures. Читать дальше...

C. Davis & H. Trinkunas, Brookings
Last night, the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) announced that they have agreed on an accord to end the internal armed conflict that has lasted over 50 years. What does it mean, and what's next?

Thomas Joscelyn, LWJ
Zawahiri critiques the Islamic State's approach to waging jihad in Iraq in his brief message, which is just over four minutes long. His arguments further highlight how al Qaeda and the Islamic State have evolved very different strategies for waging jihad. Whereas al Qaeda wants to be viewed as a popular revolutionary force, serving the interests of Muslims, the Islamic State deliberately markets itself as a top-down authoritarian regime that seeks to overtly impose its will on the populace. Читать дальше...

Middle East Briefing
Reports that Turkey is negotiating with Moscow to allow Russian planes to use the air base in Incirlik are exaggerated. The speculation followed statements by T

M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times
If US Vice President Joe Biden hoped for a trade-off with Turkish President Recep Erdogan – US assurances over Euphrates River ‘red line' for Kurdish militia in lieu of Turkey's acquiescence with Islamist preacher Fetullah Gulen remaining in Pennsylvania – that was not to be. ‘Euphrates Shield' pre-empted Biden's bidding. Erdogan thereby made Gulen's extradition a ‘stand-alone' issue. US's Syria policies are in free fall and Turkey... Читать дальше...

M. Ayoob, N. Int.
Turkish-American relations have a surreal quality. In public the pendulum often seems to swing from one extreme to the other, from friendliness to animosity. However, this swing of the pendulum makes very little difference to the strategic relationship cultivated by the two NATO allies for the past sixty-five years.

Steve Clemons, The Atlantic
A conversation with the vice president.

Steven Stashwick, Diplomat
The Great War has less to tell us about how a Pacific War might start than what it might look like.

Geraint Hughes, WOTR
Unsurprisingly, War on the Rocks commentators have devoted considerable attention to the Republican Party's current leadership in the run-up to the presidential election. As a Brit, I'd like to say here that the Republican Party is not the only venerable Western political force dealing with an unelectable leadership and damaging internal rifts, mainly arising from external affairs.