Stephen Sestanovich, Wash Post
European politics today shows how much has changed since the liberal populism of the late 1980s and early '90s. Populism is now almost everywhere illiberal â thriving on ethnic hostility and exclusion. East European movements and leaders used to denounce a corrupt elite that they said blocked integration into a broad democratic Western community. Today they say real democracy is impossible unless that integration is reversed. In the view of 21st-century populists, only the elite benefit from integration.
Hassan Hassan, The National
The two developments are a blow to the country's worst killers, and thus should be commended. The win in southwestern Aleppo saved about 300,000 civilians from a crippling siege and a slow death, while the defeat of ISIL in Manbij will further weaken the group and deprive it a crucial planning and recruitment hub.Ã Notwithstanding the benefits of defeating regime forces in southern Aleppo, the liberation of Manbij is in many ways a far greater victory for Syria.
Ananthi Sasitharan, Narratively
As Sri Lanka's bitter civil war ground to a bloody end, many rebel leaders disappeared, never to be seen again. Seven years later, one wife wants answers.
Alexandra Zavis, LAT
Brazil's government has declared war against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the Zika virus. It is a battle this country has won before, but experts are skeptical it can do so again.
Julian Pecquet, Al-Monitor
Fiercely autonomous Algeria is on a mission to cement U.S. ties as regional tensions rise and oil revenues crash.
Philip Obaji, Jr., The Daily Beast
Boko Haram is not the most important ISIS subsidiary, but its new leader is putting the focus on killing Christians in hopes it can unite, expand and endure.
Christopher Caldwell, Weekly Standard
They will certainly have been nervous about the fates of their daughters. But whether they were heartbroken depends on how they feel about Islamism. In such neighborhoods there is a full range of opinions on such matters.
Liz Alderman, NYT
Few of the resources pledged by the European Union to assist the asylum seekers and process their applications have actually come through, leaving the Greek authorities struggling to cope with a daunting humanitarian and logistical challenge that has fallen from view in the rest of Europe.
Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
The government hasn't done anything to spur economic growth: It hasn't stimulated demand, increased spending, eased regulation or boosted investor protections. The central bank, in turn, has been slow to drive down lending rates. At the end of last month, it kept its main rate at 10.5 percent, enabling the carry trade to remain highly lucrative but making it difficult for business to fund investment. The rate has changed only once this year, in June, when it was lowered from 11 percent.
Guy Verhofstadt, Project Syndicate
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's recent meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was ostensibly intended to bury the hatchet after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near its border with Syria last year. But, at a time of rising tensions tensions between Turkey and the EU, there may be more to the story.
Stephen Sestanovich, Wash Post
European politics today shows how much has changed since the liberal populism of the late 1980s and early '90s. Populism is now almost everywhere illiberal â thriving on ethnic hostility and exclusion. East European movements and leaders used to denounce a corrupt elite that they said blocked integration into a broad democratic Western community. Today they say real democracy is impossible unless that integration is reversed. In the view of 21st-century populists, only the elite benefit from integration.
Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Our challenge in the Middle East is that sharia supremacism fills all vacuums. It was this ideology that created ISIS long before President Obama came along. And if ISIS were to disappear tomorrow, sharia supremacism would still be our challenge. It is critical to be an effective political opposition to the Obama Left. But being effective means not letting the political part warp our judgment, especially where national security is concerned.
Zack Beauchamp, Vox
First, Trump completely botches the history of ISIS: The group was founded in 1999 and really grew up after the US invasion of Iraq. If any US president could be blamed for ISIS's "founding," it would be George W. Bush, not Barack Obama.
Anne McElvoy, Guardian
Theresa May should enjoy her period of grace. The big battles that will define her leadership are looming.
Kim Ghattas, Foreign Policy
The Syrian conflict barely received a mention at the Democratic convention. That's because the party is at war with itself over what to do about the crisis.
