Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 5, 2016

Tin Arango and Ceylan Yeginsu, New York Times: How Erdogan Moved to Solidify Power by Ousting a Pivotal Ally

ISTANBUL — In pursuit of more power, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has purged the judiciary of enemies, jailed journalists and crushed anti-government protests. Now, he has ousted his closest political ally, the country’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, whose modest effort to check Mr. Erdogan’s ambition was too much for the president.

Mr. Davutoglu, publicly loyal to Mr. Erdogan even as he pushed back privately on some of his excesses, said Thursday that he would step aside as the leader of the Islamist Justice and Development Party, or A.K.P., and give up his position as prime minister.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 5, 2016

Brutal Erdogan Forces Out Turkish Prime Minister in 'Palace Coup' -- Thomas Seibert, Daily Beast

Turkey's Last Shreds of Balance Are Disappearing -- Marc Champion, Bloomberg

Turkey’s Prime Minister Is Stepping Down. Here’s Why That’s Alarming. -- Sophia Jones, Huffington Post

Whatever Happened to the ‘Turkish Model’? -- Mustafa Akyol, New York Times

Russia returns to a Middle East it never really left -- Sean McMeekin, Chatham House

Analysts: Russia Cynical on Syria, Goal Is International Prestige -- Daniel Schearf, VOA

Iran May Be Ready for Joint Action With Opec Within Months -- Bloomberg

North Korea's nuclear program: What do we know? -- Euan McKirdy, CNN

A history of North Korea's party congresses – what should we expect? -- Fyodor Tertitsky for NK News/The Guardian

Nuclear battles in South Asia -- Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Great Power Confrontation in the South China Sea -- Gordon G. Chang, World Affairs

Two Years of War the Ukraine Death Toll is Rising - Roland Oliphant, The Telegraph

Why Gazprom’s ‘Monopoly’ in Europe is Far from Over -- Irina Slav, Oil Price

Nicolas Maduro And The Art Of Clinging To Power -- Marcelo Cantelmi, Worldcrunch

The Taxi Drivers Turned Black-Market Nuke Smugglers -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast