John Bew and Shiraz Maher, New Statesman: Syria’s world war
How Britain and the US are being dragged into the defining conflict of our times.
Why does Bashar al-Assad keep doing it? On the evening of 7 April a chemical weapons attack hit Douma city, the largest and most symbolic area still controlled by rebels in eastern Ghouta – a region the size of Manchester. This pocket of resistance, which is located on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, has largely been retaken by Syrian regime forces in recent weeks, although rebels in some places have still refused to surrender. The latest attack killed at least 42 people and injured more than 500, according to reports from the Syrian American Medical Society, which runs medical facilities across the country. It estimates that most of the victims were women and children.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 12, 2018
Trump’s 'Red Line' Moment in Syria? -- The Cipher Brief
America Learned Wrong Lessons From Iraq, and Syria Suffers -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg
Syria: What can Western military intervention achieve? -- Prof Michael Clarke, BBC
Can the U.S. Deter War Crimes Without Going to War with Syria? -- W.J. Hennigan, Time
How will Sinjar crisis end as tensions mount between Baghdad, Ankara? -- Omar Sattar, Al-Monitor
Why even a trade war won’t derail Made in China 2025 -- Pepe Escobar, Asia Times
Devaluation of yuan still a threat despite Xi’s promises -- William Pesek, Asia Times
China and India’s geopolitical tug of war for Bangladesh -- Forrest Cookson and Tom Felix Joehnk, East Asia Forum
In North Korea, balloons may still be more effective than drones -- Kelsey Atherton, C4ISRNet
Australia vs China, Europe vs Russia -- Daniel Woker, The Interpreter
Tensions Are Flaring between Washington and Moscow -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest
Trump on the Warpath at Home and Abroad -- National Interest
A president in prison won't solve the crisis in Brazil -- Rodrigo Nunes, Al Jazeera
‘The rules-based global order’: be alert and alarmed -- Richard Menhinick, The Strategist
Bitcoin is eating Quebec -- Kathryn Miles, MIT Technology Review
