Smoke rises from the rebel held besieged town of Hamouriyeh, eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
F. Brinley Bruton and Ammar Cheikh Omar, NBC: Syria’s civil war has been raging for 7 years. What’s behind it?
“Beyond imagination.”
That is how the U.N. has described the onslaught by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta, which is located in a so-called "de-escalation zone"
The intensifying bombing campaign around 10 miles from the country’s capital has killed and wounded hundreds in just a few days.
Idlib, a city in the northwest of the country where many people from Aleppo were relocated to after a rebel-held area there fell in Dec. 2016, is also bracing for a major government attack.
Read more ....
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 21, 2018
Explainer: Why Syria's messy war keeps escalating -- Angus McDowall, Reuters
The twisted logic of the war in Syria -- Kersten Knipp, DW
Afrin marks the point of collapse for American influence in Syria -- David Goldman, Asia Times
Can Putin and Trump Impose a Peace on Syria? -- Frederic C. Hof, Newsweek
Despite Progress on Paper, Turkey, Us Still Leagues Apart -- Semih Idiz, Al-Monitor
Reconstructing Iraq: A test case for Trumpian burden-sharing -- Jonas Parello-Plesner and Peter Rough, Defense News
Al Qaida Aims to Undermine Fragile Peace in Mali -- Bennett Seftel, The Cipher Brief
Diplomacy, sanctions, missile defense: Use this triad against North Korea -- Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf (ret.), Defense News
After Zuma, a New Start for South Africa Will Be Easier Said Than Done -- James Hamill, WPR
Europe is facing a potential crisis in the Balkans. It has to act soon -- Ivan Krastev, The Guardian
U.S. Revives Concerns About European Defense Plans -- Steven Erlanger, New York Times
Democrat Linda Belcher Takes Deep-Red Kentucky Seat, the 37th Flip Since Trump’s Inauguration -- Gideon Resnick, Daily Beast
Coping with Surprise in Great Power Conflicts -- Mark F. Cancian, CSIS
How to Grow the Military Without Buying More Ships, Planes, Tanks -- Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Fight Together, Parade Together -- Jason Healey, The Cipher Brief
Posts
