Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The World and Charlottesville; Democratic Values; Unpredictable North Korea; NAFTA Agenda; Afghanistan Troubles; India vs. China; Brexit and Borders

Quote of the Week:

" No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion..." 

-- Barack Obama, quoting Nelson Mandela in response to the violence in Charlottesville, in what is now the most-liked tweet in Twitter's history.

Charlottesville: The World Is Watching

"How the Nazi Flags in Charlottesville Look to a German" Simon Shuster -- Time, August 14, 2017

"In Charlottesville Aftermath, Europe Sees a Widening Divide with U.S." Sara Miller Llana -- Christian Science Monitor, August 14, 2017

"President Trump Flunks a Moral Test" Lexington -- The Economist, August 13, 2017

Democratic Values? The U.S. Role in World Order

"It's Time to Found a New Republic" Daren Acemoglu and Simon Johnson -- Foreign Policy, August 15, 2017

"The Statue of Liberty and the New Birth of Freedom" Daniel Freid -- Atlantic Council, August 10, 2017

"The New World Order Is Leaving the U.S. Behind" James Gibney -- Bloomberg, August 11, 2017

"Is the World Slouching Toward a Grave Systematic Crisis?" Philip Zelikow -- The Atlantic, August 11, 2017

North Korea: An Unpredictable Adversary

"How Worried Should We Be About Nuclear War With North Korea?" Dr. Patricia Lewis -- Chatham House, August 9, 2017

"How to Resolve the North Korea Crisis" Henry Kissinger -- Wall Street Journal via RealClearPolitics, August 12, 2017

"North Korea: The Non-Nuclear, Non-Missile Crisis and the Shape of Things to Come" Anthony H. Cordesman -- CSIS, August 15, 2017

The NAFTA Agenda

"Five Big Questions About the NAFTA Talks" Doug Palmer -- Politico, August 16, 2017

"Canada United, America Divided on NAFTA as Negotiations Begin" Eric Grenier -- CBC News, August 16, 2017

"Mexico Outlines Goals for Upcoming NAFTA Trade Deal Negotiations" Carrie Kahn -- NPR, August 15, 2017 [Podcast]

Afghanistan: No Way Out?

"America Keeps on Failing in Afghanistan" Ronald E. Neumann -- The Washington Post, August 9, 2017

"Taliban Letter to Trump Urges U.S. to Leave Afghanistan" -- Al Jazeera, August 15, 2017

"Mattis Mulls Plan to Privatize War in Afghanistan" Brendan McGarry -- DoD Buzz, August 15, 2017

The India-China Divide

"What a Standoff on a Small Himalayan Plateau Says About the Rivalry Between the Two Most Populous Nations" Shashank Bengali -- Los Angeles Times, August 14, 2017

"Is India's Military Actually Ready for War with China?" K.S. Venkatachalam -- The Diplomat, August 10, 2017

"Squeezed by an India-China Standoff, Bhutan Holds Its Breath" Steven Lee Meyers -- The New York Times, August 15, 2017

Borderlines and Brexit

"No Return to Irish Border Posts, UK Insists in Brexit Plan" Heather Stewart and Henry McDonald -- The Guardian, August 15, 2017

"Theresa May; Ireland; the EU, and the Prospect of a Hard Irish Border" -- Independent, August 16, 2017