Julia Ioffe, Foreign Policy
Putin and Erdogan see themselves as heirs to proud empires. But fighter jets and tough talk can't mask imperial decline.
Metin Gurcan, Al-Monitor
The regional power balance could change if Russia and Turkey carry their rapprochement in Syria to the Black Sea.
Mustafa Akyol, Al-Monitor
Western powers must balance Russian overtures to Turkey by reaching out to Ankara on its key concerns and being cautious with their criticism.
George Friedman, GF
The charges and counter-charges are less important than the fact that they have become routine.
John Schindler, Observer
The downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber jet on November 24 by a Turkish F-16 fighter on the Turkish-Syrian border, where the two air forces have been playing high-speed cat-and-mouse games for months, opened a new and dangerous phase in an international crisis that's long been brewing on low-boil.Although President Recep Erdo?an's Turkey and President Vladimir Putin's Russia are ancestral foes, in recent years the countries had enjoyed a cordial relationship with substantial... Читать дальше...
R. Gramer & E. Tamkin, FP
It may not spell a third world war. But here's what could happen after the assassination.
Beverly Peters, Conversation
Zimbabwe like many other post colonial governments across the globe continues to struggle to attain equitable land reform.
Marc Lynch, Monkey Cage
The decline of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood doesn't define the region's Islamists.
Vladimir Frolov, Moscow Times
Either Russia indulges the ambitions of Syria's president Bashar Assad to continue with his military campaign aimed at wiping out the Syrian opposition. Or it decides to use the fall of Aleppo in order to broker a deal between the regime and the rebels, allowing Moscow to cash in politically while minimizing risks of mission creep.
Frank Beauchamp, EU Observer
With Trump in the White House, the West's Russia policy might substantially change, while Europe's eastern policy is more uncertain than ever.
Thomas Rid, The Daily Beast
Declassifying information on the Russian influence operation against the U.S. election carries more risks than benefits.
Eswar Prasad, Project Syndicate
As part of a broader effort to take China to task for supposedly "raping" the US economy through unfair trade policy, US President-elect Donald Trump has now accused the country of manipulating its currency to gain an advantage for its exports. Such statements are as dangerous as they are disconnected from reality.
Evan Feigenbaum, National Interest
China now has more tools of economic statecraft and military power than ever before.
Stratfor
Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot and killed Dec. 19 at an art exhibition in Ankara, where he was delivering a public address. Turkish security forces subsequently killed the gunman, reported to be Mert Altintas, a member of the special forces department of the Turkish National Police and part of Karlov's security detail. Three others were wounded in the attack.
Michael Weiss & Hassan Hassan, Daily Beast
The so-called Islamic State says it's the only real defender of Sunnis. The story of Aleppo and Palmyra will convince any that's true.
Jessica Irvine, Sydney Morning H'ld
Australia's economic growth cycle is the longest on record, but it's not the best we've seen. Over the past 25 years, the economy has grown 123 per cent. Measured as GDP per capita, living standards have risen 61 per cent. But we've done better. In the 25 years following the end of World War II, the economy grew 230 per cent. Living standards rose 157 per cent. In an odd way, it is reassuring to know we can â and have â done better.
Guy Hedgecoe, Politico EU
Pro-independence parties prepare for mass acts of civil disobedience against the Spanish state.
Brahma Chellaney, Japan Times
Water is emerging as a key challenge for long-term Asian peace and stability.
Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Huffington Post
As Iraqi Kurdistan slides toward autocracy, U.S. leaders ignore journalists' deaths and suffering refugees.
Bhavan Jaipragas, South China Morn. Post
Southeast Asian countries prompted by erratic U.S. foreign policy to embrace Beijing will be required to toe the one-China line, but may expect a quid pro quo in the South China Sea.
Ali Vaez, New York Times
Today's competition between Turkey and Iran is the latest iteration of an old power game: a struggle their progenitors, the Byzantine and Persian empires, started over the control of Mesopotamia â today's Iraq and Syria. While the rivalry outlived their transformation from empires to nation-states, they have managed to keep the peace between themselves for nearly 200 years.
