| | | | A Lonely March Toward War | | The US is drifting toward war with Iran, The Washington Post surmises, and it's doing so without the support of key allies. European leaders have been disquieted by America's hard-line approach and hold the US, not Iran, responsible for escalating tensions, Lara Seligman and Robbie Gramer write at Foreign Policy.
Preserving the nuclear deal is in Europe's best interest, and the continent's leaders should work even harder to circumvent America and keep doing business with Iran, Eldar Mamedov writes at LobeLog. When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo crashed a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels this week, the chilly reception showcased Europe's thin patience with America's unpredictability and aggression, Mamedov writes. | | 'Strange Things Are Afoot' | | Mysterious attacks have made the situation all the more confusing and tense, The Economist writes, declaring that "strange things are afoot in the Strait of Hormuz." Attacks on two Saudi oil-pumping stations on Tuesday were likely perpetrated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, but less certain were earlier attacks on four oil tankers off the UAE coast.
Not everyone is willing to believe Iran was responsible, writes William Wechsler, director of the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs; we should expect more such incidents, he suggests, warning they'll increase "the danger of mistakes, miscalculations, and escalations leading to a wider military conflict." Calculating a response will be difficult, Simon Henderson writes at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; if Iran is responsible, US allies in the region will want a strong response but not a major confrontation. | | | China is pulling ahead of the US and Europe in battery production capability, the South China Morning Post writes. China recently achieved a breakthrough in lithium extraction and can produce the metal at record-low costs. It's a key material in batteries that will be used in electric cars, and China has gained an edge at a time when that sector is poised to grow, as car companies are pledging to go electric, and as battery technology has emerged as one potentially promising answer to global warming. China's advantage has caused some worries in the US about falling behind, the paper writes. | | A Case for Intervening in Venezuela | | | The Venezuelan people are facing a humanitarian crisis under President Nicolas Maduro, but international support gives them their best chance in years at ending his regime, Daniel Di Martino writes at The National Interest. Many have cautioned that a military campaign by the US, or other allies of Juan Guaido, would be dangerous, but Di Martino argues Guaido should request it—and could do so legally. A provision in Venezuela's constitution allows the National Assembly, which Guaido leads, to ask for international military support, Di Martino points out; Guaido needs leverage, and unless he asks his international backers for military help, more Venezuelans will suffer death and displacement. | | Seeing Eye to Eye With China | | We shouldn't be surprised that US/China trade talks have stalled, Shang-Jin Wei writes at Project Syndicate: Due to cultural differences, it's possible each side simply sees negotiations differently. Americans tend to work through checklists when negotiating, but not everyone does it that way; the US team shouldn't be surprised, for instance, if China views negotiations more holistically, wanting to revise previously agreed items based on later outcomes.
Regardless of whether the two negotiating teams can see eye to eye, William Alan Reinsch writes for CSIS that Presidents Trump and Xi will have to work things out amongst themselves. The two leaders have exerted so much influence on the trade war that lower-level talks won't be as important as a presidential showdown, he writes. | | | | | | |
