Elisabeth Braw, AEI
Beijing's swift release of two Canadians held on trumped-up charges confirms that Xi Jinping is prepared to stoop to the level of late Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi and engage in hostage diplomacy.
Martin Kettle, Guardian
If Olaf Scholz becomes chancellor after his narrow victory, progressives across the continent will be trying to imitate him
Caleb Larson, 1945
The J-31 will soon fly regular sorties off of Chinese flattops. Stealth Fighters on Carrier As reported by Defense News, China's J-31, a small, two-engine fighter, will make its debut on People's Liberation Army Navy aircraft carriers sometime this year. Defense News quoted Sun Cong, a chief People's Liberation Army Navy airplane designer, saying that […]
Shang-Jin Wei et al, Project Syndicate
Many investors remain focused on whether the Chinese government will succeed in ring-fencing the problems at the heavily indebted property developer Evergrande. But the bigger issue is what President Xi Jinping's increasing regulatory crackdown and "common prosperity" agenda mean for China's long-term growth.
Will Smith, National Interest
Turkey has shown that the combination of drones and proxy forces can radically alter how asymmetrical and regional conflicts are fought, just as the advent of close air support revolutionized fighting in the twentieth century.
Smith & Weickgenant, Big Think
After the German election, will the nation continue to "muddle through" successfully enough to lead Europe?
James Forsyth, Times of London
While some Tories are doubting what the party is for, the PM is determined to deliver on issues like health inequality
Ted Galen Carpenter, Am. Cons.
Despite the protests of allies such as France and Germany, the U.S. is pursuing an arrogant, unwise, and potentially very dangerous policy.
Fozil Mashrab, Jamestown
On September 20, Tashkent hosted a conference on the topic "Russia and Uzbekistan facing the challenges of development and security at a new historical stage of interaction." This gathering, jointly organized by Russia's Valdai International Discussion Club and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies Under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was attended by high-level diplomats from both countries. During the conference, Russian Deputy Foreign... Читать дальше...
William Eichler, Newlines
"Are you a Muslim?" a pastry seller in Skopje's Old Bazaar asks Ahmet Erdi Ozturk. "Do you like Erdoğan?" Before the author of "Religion, Identity and Power: Turkey and the Balkans in the Twenty-First Century" can answer, she points out that as a Turk he must be a Muslim and devotee of Turkey's president. In solidarity, the woman — Baklavaci Teyze ("aunt who sells baklava") as she's known locally — gives him a free square of syrupy pastry. She then praises Erdoğan... Читать дальше...
Navid Mohebbi & Alireza Nader, Wash. Examiner
The regime in Iran initially welcomed the triumph of the Taliban over the central government in Kabul, celebrating the humiliation of the U.S., their common foe. While Shiite Iran and the Sunni Taliban hold differing religious ideologies, the two have built strong relations since the Taliban's initial defeat by U.S. forces in 2001. Anti-Americanism explains this partnership: Both seek to...
Andrew Michta, 1945
On September 27, the day after the German elections to the Bundestag, Olaf Scholz could have just as well channeled Mark Twain, in that "the reports of the Social Democratic Party's death have been greatly exaggerated." The September 26 balloting in Germany defied the received wisdom that the SPD was for all practical purposes finished […]