Kirill Semenov, Al Monitor
Moscow praises Muscat's stance on regional issues, and seeks to boost its mediation profile.
Rachel Donadio, Atlantic
Pope Francis wants concrete change over the Church's child sexual-abuse scandal. It won't be easy, though.
Austin Bay, Strategy Page
Karina Orlova, The American Interest
Western Russia-watchers are mistaking the ramblings of a self-promoting apparatchik for a coherent articulation of the Kremlin's ideology. Don't believe the hype.
Austen Dowell, The Diplomat
Mapping newly created, resurrected, and proposed transport routes across Central Asia provides insight into regional connectivity drives.
Anthony Wells, YouGov
The biggest impact The Independent Group has on the voting intention landscape is to push many Labour voters todon't know
Judah Grunstein, WPR
Stephen Daisley, Spectator
Manny Shinwell knew how to deal with anti-Semites. Born in London's East End, reared in Glasgow, and once jailed for inciting a riot on Red Clydeside, the pipe-smoking pugilist was a tough, proud Jew.
Victor Cha, Bloomberg View
Forcing the subject at next week's summit would increase U.S. leverage and make any agreement more credible.
Japan Times
When they meet in Hanoi next week, Trump must get Kim to say to the world that he is willing to dismantle his nuclear weapons and that he is not waiting until the U.S. withdraws its nuclear umbrella.
Rafiq Dossani & Heejin Kim, RCW
Ian Bremmer, Time
A new study finds Americans of every stripe have a waning appetite for imperial adventurism overseas
Michael Mandelbaum, Foreign Affairs
During the Cold War, the United States chose to contain the Soviet Union, successfully deterring its military aggression and limiting its political influence for decades. The United States should apply containment once again, now to Russia, China and Iran.
