Thailand's Junta Wants the Monarchy to Know Who's Boss
Paul Chambers, FP
The military cooperated with the royal family for decades -- but now it wants a subordinate, not a partner.
Paul Chambers, FP
The military cooperated with the royal family for decades -- but now it wants a subordinate, not a partner.
Howard Amos, Politico EU
A small town celebrates a 16th century strongman with a bloody history.
Hassan Hassan, The National
Two weeks into the battle to liberate Mosul, these underlying troubles should worry the US-led coalition. ISIL clearly wants Mosul to be its Dabiq, the supposed apocalyptic site for a final epic battle but which it lost to the Syrian rebels without much of a fight just before the Nineveh operation began. Mosul might not be the apocalyptic alternative, but it could provide ISIL with the defining polarisation that it seeks.
Stephen Evans, BBC
Could South Korea's president be toppled by allegations of the "Rasputin-like" influence of old mentors?
Peter Morici, Wash Times
The new president will face immediate challenges -- the war against ISIS, fixing Obamacare and boosting sluggish growth â but the economic and geopolitical challenges posed by an increasingly assertive China are perhaps the most vexing and far reaching for the American economy and global leadership.
Peter Hartcher, Sydney Morning Herald
Former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has said that Australia went through an "anti-China panic" and and anti-China "hysteria" recently.
Andrew Kramer, NYT
Estonia, a NATO member with a population of 1.3 million people and a standing army of about 6,000, would not stand a chance in a conventional war with Russia. But two armies fighting on an open field is not Estonia's plan, and was not even before Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, said European members of NATO should not count on American support unless they pay more alliance costs.Ã
N. Nougayrede, Guardian
As the balance of migration tips, Europe could learn a lot from the positive narrative of the New World.
Borzou Daragahi, BuzzFeed
As the increase in ISIS-related terrorist attacks triggers panic and backlash in cities worldwide, they're just part of day-to-day life in Baghdad.
Damir Marusic, The American Interest
A murky tale of spycraft, diplomacy and intrigue in the Balkans suggests that Russia's secret services are ratcheting up their efforts to an unprecedented degree.
Oliver & Gurzu, Politico EU
Leaders say they'll have to redouble efforts to rescue trade agendas from hardening anti-globalization sentiment.
Stephen Hume, Vancouver Sun
This discussion is really about the rate of expansion for exports, about preferred modes of transport and about preferred routes.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, The Daily Beast
A series of devastating earthquakes have killed hundreds and destroyed scores of towns and villages. But it may only get worse.
Akin Unver, War on the Rocks
As mentioned earlier, oil fields, pipelines, and refineries have been the peshmerga's primary defensive priorities in the aftermath of Mosul's fall to ISIL in 2014. Quite interestingly, the peshmerga's main battle activity heat graphs consolidate along the northern section of the Iraqi-Turkish Pipeline (ITP) and the predicted trajectory of the KRG-Turkey natural gas pipeline, whose construction began in January 2016. In addition, though Mosul's highways today connect the Tawke... Читать дальше...
Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times
Just before sunset on the first day of the Mosul offensive, Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil called his soldiers to attention in a field about 30 miles east of the city where they had bivouacked.
Richard Potter, The Diplomat
Much of the speculation about the recent attacks miss a simple truth about the plight of the Rohingya.
Nicky Falkof, New York Times
The university where I work is in crisis. Campuses across South Africa are on fire â in some cases literally â as students protesting impossibly high fees lock horns with reckless police officers. Students run a gantlet of rubber bullets, water cannons, stun grenades and tear gas just to make it to the library. Attendance has been sparse, with students, lecturers and other employees staying home in fear. Some universities have turned to overzealous police... Читать дальше...
Tom Hussain, South China Morning Post
Former stomping grounds could lure veteran fighters near to Chinaâ??s borders â?? and to a budding caliphate in an Afghan province.
Dan De Luce & Reid Standish, FP
Vice President Joe Biden led the administration's support of Ukraine. But Kiev worries whether the next White House will have its back as Putin looks to ramp up pressure.
Tej Parikh, The National Interest
The brewing climate of fear and inter-ethnic mistrust has meant national leaders have been unable, and unwilling, to coordinate counterterrorism activities.
Marcelo Crivella, The Guardian
Marcelo Crivella's victory underscores fall of Rousseff's Workers' party and voters' contempt for entire political system.