Atlantic Council blogs

British Lt. Gen. Nick Parker acting Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan

By the White House

From the White House:  Following up on earlier conversations between their national security teams, President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron spoke today on Afghanistan.  The Prime Minister confirmed that U.K. Lieutenant General Nick Parker would serve as the acting Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force mission until a new U.S. Commander is confirmed by […]

British Security Policy – the US or the EU?: Choose Your Partners

By Anand Menon, Chatham House

Bulgaria to send more troops to Afghanistan

By the AP

From the AP:  Bulgaria says it will send 65 more troops to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan in early September. The government said in a statement Wednesday that 10 of the soldiers will be medical personnel based in Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, and 10 will be instructors for the Afghan army. The […]

NATO Units discover live mine during exercise BALTOPS 2010

By NATO Maritime Command

From NATO Maritime Command: During the latest exercise, BALTOPS 2010, currently taking place in the Gulf of Finland NATO units not only found and destroyed the dummy exercise mines but they also found a few live mines and other underwater explosive devices which had lain on the sea bed since World War 2.

NATO Chief resolute on Afghanistan: “we will stay for as long as it takes to do our job”

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  I have taken note that General McChrystal is stepping down as Commander of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. I thank General McChrystal for his service to NATO, and for the enormous effort he has put into leading the ISAF mission.

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Reset’ Button

By José María Aznar, Foreign Policy

From José María Aznar, Foreign Policy:  The United States and its allies have all the tools at their disposal to defeat our shared enemies. Success will depend on three basic commitments: American leadership, a stronger Europe, and a common transatlantic vision.

McChrystal Out, Petraeus In

By James Joyner

As expected, President Obama has sacked  Stanley McChrystal, stripping him of the Afghanistan command for insubordination.  Unexpectedly, he replaced him with David Petraeus. While I’ve been critical of the administration’s handling of Afghanistan — as recently as this morning — this was a brilliant stroke.  And the speech itself struck all the right notes. I […]

US Army to close almost all sites in two German cities

By DPA

From DPA:  The US Army said Wednesday it would close almost all its sites in two German cities, Heidelberg and Mannheim, where it has maintained bases since 1945.

Is Russia Resetting? The Limits of a Petro-State

By Robert Manning

Don’t look now, but Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s visits this week to Silicon Valley and Washington appear part of a wider Russian rethinking of its predicament.  The operative word is thinking. That Medvedev would like to create a Russian Silicon Valley suggests a belated realization that Russia, the Petro-state, is not a recipe for a […]

A Possibly Dangerous Summer, Continued

By Harlan Ullman

The U.S. political system was designed by the best minds of the 18th century. But today, the issues and crises of the 21st century are profoundly more complex, numerous and interrelated. To be sure, this system has changed with the times. However, when faced with an unprecedented multitude of simultaneous challenges and crises, most with […]