Atlantic Council blogs

Germany Will Begin Afghan Exit Next Year

By Judy Dempsey and Matthew Saltmarsh, the New York Times

From Judy Dempsey and Matthew Saltmarsh, the New York Times:  Germany, which has the third largest military force in Afghanistan, will start withdrawing its 4,800 troops as early as next year, ending its mission there by 2014

“Resetting” the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process?

By Don Snow

It comes as no revelation to report that the efforts of the Obama administration to move the on-again, but mostly off-again peace process between Israel and the Palestinians is currently going nowhere.

China Expands Its Influence in Europe

By Wieland Wagner, Spiegel

From Wieland Wagner, Spiegel: [T]he rising superpower is cleverly capitalizing on the euro crisis to extend its long-term political and economic influence in Europe.

Obama’s next big Afghan battle: How many troops to withdraw

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Scott Wilson, the Washington Post

From Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Scott Wilson, the Washington Post:  President Obama’s national security team this week revisited the same vexing issues it worked through a year ago in devising the administration’s troop escalation in Afghanistan. This time, one key element was missing: impassioned dissent. While the group concluded that Obama’s counterinsurgency strategy is showing signs […]

NATO success in Kandahar and commitment of troops until 2014 shifting Afghan support

By Carlotta Gall and Ruhullah Khapalwak, the New York Times

From Carlotta Gall and Ruhullah Khapalwak, the New York Times:  As the Obama administration reviews its strategy in Afghanistan, residents and even a Taliban commander say the surge of American troops this year has begun to set back the Taliban in parts of their southern heartland and to turn people against the insurgency — at […]

NATO-Russia differences on a European missile shield

By Podolskaya Nadezhda, the Voice of Russia

From Podolskaya Nadezhda, the Voice of Russia:  The NATO-Russia differences on a European missile shield are essentially as follows:

NATO chief appoints US defense official as deputy

By the AP

From the AP:  NATO’s secretary-general says he will appoint Alexander Vershbow, the current U.S. assistant secretary of defense for international security, as his next deputy.

Nearly 200 Turkish military officers go on trial tomorrow

By Daren Butler, Reuters

WikiLeaks and the Specter of Cyber War

By Harlan Ullman

Karl Marx proclaimed that a “specter was haunting Europe.” But it took decades before the specter of socialism became a reality in the formation of the Soviet Union. Today, a “cyberspecter” haunts us. We better be alert to it because we don’t have decades to wait. Cyberwar, computer hacking and the information revolution are well-worn […]

Gaddafi proposes 1 million-strong African army to “confront NATO” and other powers

By Reuters

From Reuters:  African nations should join forces to create a one-million-strong army to protect the continent and confront outsiders like NATO and China, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Tuesday. Gaddafi, well known for his forthright rhetoric, has acquired growing influence in Africa but his ambition to build a united states of Africa is not […]