Weekly Review, Aug. 31 – Sept. 4, 2015

Obama Selling the Iranian Deal – Rachel Ehrenfeld – As a used lemon-car salesman, Secretary of State John Kerry continues to peddle the defective agreement with Iran. While his boss, who commands the lemon car dealership has successfully persuaded 36 Democratic Senators to assist him in preventing a congressional veto of this bad deal…continue…

Obama’s Threats Unlikely To Stop Cyber Attacks – Rachel Ehrenfeld – Talk about imposing sanctions on Chinese and Russian individuals and a company benefiting from their government’s looting of American trade, military and personnel secrets, is cheap, but futile…continue…

Turkey’s Growing Instability – Sol W. Sanders – Once NATO’s formidable eastern anchor, Turkey is increasingly becoming a major problem for Washington policymakers and a contributor to the Mideast chaos. The change is all the more remarkable since at the outset of the Obama Administration, the President saw then Turkish…continue…

News & Analysis

Iran: Construction of 2nd Reactor of Iran’s N. Power Plant Underway – FNA

Meet the Iran Lobby. In the Fight Over Sanctions and the Nuclear Deal, How Did the Supposedly All-Powerful Pro-Israel Lobby Lose to the Slick Operatives of the National American Iranian Council? – Lee Smith

FPI Bulletin: Iran¹s Ballistic Missile Program Continues – Tzvi Kahn

Nuclear Fiascoes: From Diplomatic Failure With North Korea To Debacle With Iran – Claudia Rosett

Europe: EU preps to launch military strikes against Mediterranean people smugglers – IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly

EU declares information war on Russia. Task force will start trying to win hearts and minds in eastern partnership countries next month – Politico

Jeremy Corbyn calls death of Osama bin Laden a ‘tragedy’. Would-be Labour leader under fire for criticising US killing of Al-Qaeda leader, as George Osborne warns he poses a ‘threat to national security’ – Telegraph UK

Continental Drift: Europe at a Crossroads – Michael Zantovsky

Russia: Vladimir Putin confirms Russian military involvement in Syria’s civil war – Telegraph

Moscow Needs to Expand Fight against ISIS from Battlefield to Mosques, “Vzglyad” Says – Paul Goble

Putin’s Pal. Stephen Cohen was once considered a top Russia historian. Now he publishes odd defenses of Vladimir Putin. The Nation just published his most outrageous one yet – Cathy Young

Wikileaks is a Front for Russian Intelligence – The XX Committee

The Endgame in Syria: Russia into Syria? – The American Interest

Middle East: Vladimir Putin confirms Russian military involvement in Syria’s civil war – Telegraph

International Courtship of Hamas Shows that Terror Pays – Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi

What’s next for the Muslim Brotherhood – Dina Ezzat

Turkey: Payback Time? – Burak Bekdil

On the Backroads of Morocco. In a country where the traditional “fear of the authorities” has weakened, the Amazigh identity movement could help shape the future – Bruce Maddy-Weitzman

Petraeus¹s Plan to Defeat Islamic State Won¹t Work – Josh Rogin

The ISIS Economy: Crushing Taxes and High Unemployment – The Atlantic

How to Destroy Islamic State (and How Not to). Why has a ragtag force been able to hold out against the most powerful country in the world? Because America¹s regional strategy is based on false precepts – Michael Doran, Michael Pregent, Eric Brown, Peter Rough

Azerbaijan: Is America forgetting American values? – Jeffrey Gedmin, Gary Schmitt

Cyber: Cyber insurance market will be worth $10bn by 2020, but still vastly untapped – Insurance Business