Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Afghanistan on the Brink; Options on North Korea; Terror in the Philippines; Oppression in Hong Kong; Angola's Historic Election; Our Pale Blue Dot

Quote of the Week:

"You have to be able to both fight and talk. And you have to be able to prove that you're willing to do both for a long time. That's been lacking in our policy. I think we're now maybe correcting that."

-- Ronald E. Neumann, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, speaking Aug. 22 on NPR's All Things Considered.

KNOW NOW Conference Call on Afghansitan:

Join the World Affairs Councils of America on Friday, August 25, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET for an exclusive conversation with Amb. Ron Neumann, President of the American Academy of Diplomacy. Register for the call.

Afghanistan on the Brink

"In Pivot, Trump Vows to 'Win' in Afghanistan" Alex Simendinger and James Arkin -- RealClearPolitics, August 22, 2017

"America's Former Envoy to Afghanistan: The War Can't Be Won" Sean Illing -- Vox, August 22, 2017

"Trump's Welcome Self-Correction" Editorial Board -- The Washington Post, August 23, 2017

"America Is Out of Ideas in Afghanistan" Susan B. Glasser -- Politico, August 22, 2017

"Trump's Depressingly Normal Speech About Afghanistan" James Fallows -- The Atlantic, August 21, 2017

"Pakistan Exasperated by Wavering U.S. Afghan Policy" Kiran Stacey and Farhan Bokhari -- Financial Times, August 22, 2017

North Korea: Weighing the Options

"Take Preventative War with North Korea off the Table" John Delury -- Foreign Affairs, August 22, 2017

"A Second Korean War Could Quickly Spread Across All of Asia" Brendan Scott and Adrian Leung -- Bloomberg, August 21, 2017

"Don't Count Japan Out in the North Korea Crisis" Grant Newsham -- The National Interest, August 22, 2017

"Understanding North Korea" Doug Irving -- RAND, August 18, 2017

Terror in the Philippines

"One Too Many Killings in the Philippines" George Amurao -- Asia Times, August 23, 2017

"Duterte, the Philippines, and a Psychopathic Reign of Terror" -- Asia Sentinel, August 22, 2017

"Duterte Faces Nationwide Revolt over Drugs War After Killing of Schoolboy Sparks Outrage" Nicola Smith -- The Telegraph, August 22, 2017

Rain on Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement

"Legal Terrorism? Hong Kong's All-Out Attack on Pro-Democracy Parties" Kong Tsung-Gan -- Hong Kong Free Press, August 21, 2017

"Is This the End of Hong Kong's Fight for Democracy?" Lee Lian Kong -- Asian Correspondent, August 22, 2017

"Hong Kong's Rapid Descent into Authoritarianism" Editorial Board -- The Washington Post, August 19, 2017

Angola's Historic Vote

"Dos Santos: Angola's Secretive Leader Heads Towards Exit" -- The Guardian, August 23, 2017

"Angola Votes for First New President in Nearly Four Decades" Christopher Torchia -- U.S. News & World Report, August 23, 2017

"Oil Is Angola's Trump Card for International Success, and the New President Must Bring About Reform" Alex Vines -- Newsweek, August 23, 2017

Our Pale Blue Dot

"Everyone's Eclipse: America Comes Together in the Moon's Shadow" Amanda Paulson and Eva Botkin-Kowacki -- Christian Science Monitor, August 21, 2017

"People Furthest Apart on Climate Views Are Often the Most Educated" Umair Irfan -- Scientific American, August 22, 2017

"World Has Missed Chance to Avoid Dangerous Global Warming - Unless We Start Geo-Engineering the Planet" Ian Johnston -- The Independent, August 22, 2017

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