- Russia’s buildup in Kaliningrad to test Trump on NATO
The Islamic State, though driven from its coastal stronghold in Surt this week, still has several hundred fighters who have dispersed across Libya and pose a threat to the country, its neighbors and, potentially, Europe, according to American officials and the Pentagon’s Africa Command. – New York Times
With Islamic State driven from its last urban stronghold in strife-ridden but energy-rich Libya, fresh turmoil is brewing over control of lucrative oil installations. And a polarizing military figure who once enjoyed close U.S. support — Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar — is at the heart of the unfolding struggle. – Los Angeles Times
The past week's developments give a measure of the chaos still enveloping Libya, five years after the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Gaddafi. - Reuters
Editorial: Western governments have an interest in ensuring that Islamic State doesn’t return in force to Libya’s oil-rich coastal areas, which is why airborne vigilance and special-forces assistance must remain on the agenda of the incoming Trump Administration. But it also means the West will have little choice but to help the Libyan state govern itself, lest endless civil war give Islamic State further opportunities to thrive amid the chaos. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
With Islamic State driven from its last urban stronghold in strife-ridden but energy-rich Libya, fresh turmoil is brewing over control of lucrative oil installations. And a polarizing military figure who once enjoyed close U.S. support — Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar — is at the heart of the unfolding struggle. – Los Angeles Times
The past week's developments give a measure of the chaos still enveloping Libya, five years after the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Gaddafi. - Reuters
Editorial: Western governments have an interest in ensuring that Islamic State doesn’t return in force to Libya’s oil-rich coastal areas, which is why airborne vigilance and special-forces assistance must remain on the agenda of the incoming Trump Administration. But it also means the West will have little choice but to help the Libyan state govern itself, lest endless civil war give Islamic State further opportunities to thrive amid the chaos. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky says Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely coast to a second six-year term in an election slated for 2018, but that mounting infighting among insiders could prompt him to seek an exit from the Kremlin. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Editorial: The fallout from the McLaren report is not yet complete; more investigations are underway. But the findings underscore that President Vladimir Putin’s style is to break rules, whether persecuting dissidents at home or making mischief in Ukraine. Mr. Putin had to know that his own security services were fixing the Olympics. Fortunately, this time, Mr. McLaren has exposed the cheat. – Washington Post
Larry Diamond writes: The most urgent foreign-policy question now is how America will respond to the mounting threat that Putin’s Russia poses to freedom and its most important anchor, the Western alliance. Nothing will more profoundly shape the kind of world we live in than how the Trump administration responds to that challenge. – Defense One
Julia Ioffe writes: Putin may act a friend and pin state medals on your breast, but he is, ultimately, a cynic. And to play ball with him, you have to be a cynic, too. Forget your honor, your rule of law, your independent judiciary, your human rights, your international law, and focus on the gold coins he throws to your feet. And forget looking dignified as you gather them up. - Politico
Editorial: The fallout from the McLaren report is not yet complete; more investigations are underway. But the findings underscore that President Vladimir Putin’s style is to break rules, whether persecuting dissidents at home or making mischief in Ukraine. Mr. Putin had to know that his own security services were fixing the Olympics. Fortunately, this time, Mr. McLaren has exposed the cheat. – Washington Post
Larry Diamond writes: The most urgent foreign-policy question now is how America will respond to the mounting threat that Putin’s Russia poses to freedom and its most important anchor, the Western alliance. Nothing will more profoundly shape the kind of world we live in than how the Trump administration responds to that challenge. – Defense One
Julia Ioffe writes: Putin may act a friend and pin state medals on your breast, but he is, ultimately, a cynic. And to play ball with him, you have to be a cynic, too. Forget your honor, your rule of law, your independent judiciary, your human rights, your international law, and focus on the gold coins he throws to your feet. And forget looking dignified as you gather them up. - Politico
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