Middle East first, EU and migrants last…
Iran: With whom does Obama need to mend fences? Are they fences worth mending?
Nuclear Deal Sealed, Obama Must Now Make It Work, and Mend Fences
Egypt: This one caught me by surprise – but it doesn’t mean new elections like it might in some countries, just a new cabinet.
Egypt’s Government Resigns Amid Corruption Probe
Syria: Note the author’s qualifications. While it’s obvious that we need a better solution for Syrians in Syria itself, it isn’t exactly surprising that the author would advocate for a solution that would also keep everyone from showing up on his doorstep the way they are now.
Steinmeier – Break the Gridlock on Syria
Turkey: For a long time, the Turkish military was the guarantor of a secular Turkish society; whenever civilian rulers would get too religious, the military would take over for a while to straighten out that problem. Erdogan is the first politician there to make the country noticeably more Islamic – a larger role for religion in the public square – and he did that by sidelining major portions of the military establishment that might have challenged him. While I didn’t see Erdogan’s use of the military against the Kurds as something that would upset the new religious balance he established, this author argues that I’m wrong. So now it’s a four-way contest: Erdogan and allies, the Kurds, ISIS, and the military. Definitely not a boring country to follow…
Karaveli – Turkey’s Military Rulers
Burma: Speaking of the military’s influence over government…
Min Zin – In Myanmar, a Soft Coup Ahead of an Election
Singapore: Election results, and hard-ball politics…
Singapore Voters Give Ruling Party a Resounding Victory
Malaysia: More hard-ball politics…
Investigations Stymied in Malaysia, Critics of Najib Razak Take Their Case Global
Venezuela: And really hard-ball politics.
A Venezuelan opposition leader’s absurd sentence
Harsh sentence for Venezuela opposition leader widely condemned
Opposition in Venezuela Is Unsettled by Leader’s Sentence
Cuba: Someone who just might outlast the Castro brothers.
For Pope Francis, an unfinished mission in Cuba
Spain: While Spain is considered to be on the EU’s periphery rather than the core, even periphery countries have their internal core-periphery issues. Is Spain’s core area trying to dump the periphery slackers?
Catalans Campaigning for Independence March in Barcelona
Northern Ireland: Deja vu all over again.
The Political Crisis in Northern Ireland
Great Britain: Now there’s a liberal! (America has shifted to far to the right that our liberals would be centrists elsewhere.)
Leftist Jeremy Corbyn elected leader of Britain’s Labour Party
With Jeremy Corbyn Elected as New Leader, Britain’s Labour Party Takes a Hard Left Turn
Migrants: Not exactly a consensus yet.
Quota Proposal Fails to Gain Traction as Germany Prepares for More Arrivals
Hungarians Say Images of Harshness Toward Migrants Are Unfair
Dinosaur Debate 