David Ignatius's Blog, page 117

On the eve of Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit, China loses some luster

This week’s global economic roller coaster may portend a test of the limits of power and diplomacy.

Trump’s surge makes the case for Joe Biden

The great potential strength of a Biden 2016 campaign can be summed up in two words.

Why China’s response to economic freefall is incomplete

“Hosing” the markets with money doesn’t fix the underlying imbalances.

Lessons from the Bay of Pigs in the Syrian ‘Division 30’ debacle

The United States has a history of mismanaging military support for rebel groups.

Is Donald Trump an American Putin?

Both men talk tough, love attention and play to national pride.

The big battle behind China’s recent turmoil

One way to think about the recent financial turmoil in China is as a parenting dispute between “Xi Dada” and “Yang Ma” — meaning “Big Daddy Xi” (the nickname for President Xi Jinping) and “Big Mama” (a popular moniker for the People’s Bank of China.)Read full article >>

Kurdish leader blasts Turkey’s president

Turkey’s political tensions were sharply evident Thursday, as the country’s leading Kurdish politician accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “supporting ISIS” in the past. He said that Erdogan wants early elections as part of a strategy of “attacking the Kurdish movement” and reversing its recent political gains.Read full article >>

Our endless quest for the perfect wave

Escapism has a special lure this summer, if you’re saturated with Islamic State atrocities, the Iran nuclear deal and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. As relief from such weighty matters, I can recommend a magnificently escapist book about surfing called “Barbarian Days.” Read full article >>

Obama’s cry of despair on the Iran deal

Can an American president make big, historic changes in the country’s direction with a relatively narrow base of political support? That was the challenge President Obama faced when he pushed health-care reform through Congress, and it’s the same problem he faces now in trying to win support for a breakthrough nuclear deal with Iran.Read full article >>

A strategy forms to combat the Islamic State

The U.S. and its allies, after several years of missteps, finally seem to be framing a strategy for combating the Islamic State militarily in Syria, even as they continue to pursue a political settlement with Damascus.Read full article >>