Michael Clarke, The Guardian: If the Syria ceasefire fails, Isis will be the least of the west’s problems
The prospect of Russian and Iranian forces putting a vengeful Assad back in control of a broken country is now all too real
The military campaign against Islamic State is being reduced to a vicious sideshow as the Syrian civil war enters a new make-or-break phase. Russian military involvement has been a game-changer – saving Bashar al-Assad’s forces from near collapse, blatantly attacking western-backed opposition forces, and supplying T-90 tanks to Assad’s army closing in on Aleppo. For the western allies, time is running out. The agenda is being shaped by Russia, Assad and Iran, which have formed a de facto alliance to maintain the old Syria and – despite the supposed ceasefire agreed by the big powers in Munich last Friday – are not dissuaded by the death and destruction involved.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 16, 2016
Saudi Arabia’s Master Plan Against ISIS, Assad and Iran in Syria -- Nawaf Obaid, National Interest
The current chaos in Syria may help the Islamic State -- Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post
Allegations—and Denials—in the Syrian Conflict -- Krishnadev Calamur, The Atlantic
Russia’s Grim Pattern in Syria -- Dennis Ross, WSJ
Analysis: How Russia keeps piling pressure on Turkey -- Justin Bronk, Al Jazeera
One of the Obama administration's biggest gambles in Syria is completely backfiring -- Natasha Bertrand, Business Insider
After the Geneva Talks: Re-Setting US Strategy for Western Syria -- War On The Rocks
To Purge or Not to Purge: China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign -- Leo Lin, The Diplomat
China's giant telescope represents its big ambitions for science -- Tim Radford, The Guardian
No Good News: Afghan Civilian Casualties Still Increasing -- Catherine Putz, The Diplomat
Eurasia's Coming Anarchy -- Robert Kaplan, Foreign Affairs
Whack-a-Terrorist in Libya -- Paul Pillar, National Interest
The Problem with Poland -- Jan-Werner Müller, New York Review Of Books
Learning the Lessons of the Argentine Debt Crisis -- Bloomberg editorial
Can George W. Bush Save Jeb? -- David Graham, The Atlantic
Oil’s fall may be democracy’s rise -- CSM editorial
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