by Michael R. Auslin via National Review
China has been suffering through record rains the past weeks, leading to the worst flooding in the country in decades. There is little relief in sight, and the Yangtze River is now above flood level, according to China’s Ministry of Water Resources. A few days ago, officials admitted that certain “peripheral” structures of the massive Three Gorges Dam deformed due to the building water pressure.
Ankara believes a large-scale Egyptian ground operation is highly unlikely in Libya, considering the likely dynamics of power struggles in the skies of Sirte and al-Jufra, between tribes in southern Libya and on air and naval logistical routes between Libya and Turkey.
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Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried China’s “campaign of bullying” in the South China Sea (SCS) and pledged that the US “would not allow Beijing to treat the SCS as its maritime empire.” So what measures might be on the table because of the administration’s change in policy? In a War on the Rocks op-ed, Zack Cooper and Bonnie Glaser note that Washington should consider economic sanctions, more military patrols, capacity building, and tougher multilateral diplomacy. The US cannot prevent China from dominating the SCS and undermining the application of rules and norms in Asia’s maritime coasts without accepting more risk. Learn more here.
Egypt is preparing to deploy its army outside its borders for the first time in almost 30 years. At issue is Libya, where Turkey has intervened to support Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. But is Cairo about to make a mistake? There is no guarantee that Egypt will be able to achieve its aims quickly and at a cost the Egyptian economy can easily bear, points out Michael Rubin in a National Interest op-ed. Still, Egypt is correct to counter Turkey in Libya. It is time for Washington either to reassert counter-terror leadership itself or to back allies who wish to do so. Read here.