US forces could be caught in the crossfire if Turkish President Recep Erdoğan makes good on his vow to attack Kurdish forces in Manbij. Photo: Reuters
M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times: US blinks under Turkish pressure in Syria
Turkey’s aim is to scatter the Kurds’ Rojava dream of a contiguous homeland across northern Syria
The Turkish President Recep Erdogan gave a stark warning to the Trump administration on Friday by stating his intention to order an assault on the northern Syrian town of Manbij, roughly 40 km from the Turkish border and 100 km to the east of Afrin, where US forces are operating alongside Kurdish militia.
He said, “Operation Olive Branch will continue until it reaches its goals. We will rid Manbij of terrorists (read Kurds) … Our battles will continue until no terrorist is left right up to our (910-km) border with Iraq.”
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 28, 2018
Q&A: Why Afghanistan suffers unrelenting attacks -- Kathy Gannon, AP
Why the US will never recognize a nuclear North Korea -- Elizabeth Shim, We Are The Mighty/UPI News
Made in North Korea – a unique glimpse of life inside a closed society -- Vanessa Thorpe, The Guardian
China and India: are war clouds gathering over Doklam again? -- Debasish Roy Chowdhury, SCMP
Deterring Chinese intimidation -- James A. Lyons and Richard D. Fisher Jr., Washington Times
What are the trade cards Donald Trump could play against China? -- Zhenhua Lu, SCMP
The arc to Southeast Asia -- Harsh V. Pant, The Hindu
India’s One Belt, One Road-Block -- Jacob L. Shapiro, Geopolitical Futures
The unlikely Mideast alliance that threatens Iran -- Maysam Behravesh, Reuters
Saudi Arabia uses aggression abroad to calm clerics at home -- Bruce Riedel, Al-Monitor
Saudi corruption purge winds down but scars will linger -- Andrew Torchia, Reuters
Italy’s Crazy Campaign Promises: Easy Sex, No Vaccines -- Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast
Theresa May is losing control. She must step up or help find a successor -- Anne McElvoy, The Guardian
What to expect from Bulgaria's EU presidency? -- Nicolas Tenzer, EU Observer
Global takeaways from Trump's Davos speech -- John Lloyd, Reuters
The next cyber arms race is in artificial intelligence -- Meredith Rutland Bauer, Fifth Domain
