Atlantic Council blogs

Rasmussen: NATO seeks deeper relations with Pakistan

By AFP

From AFP:  NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday he sought broader, deeper ties with Pakistan, in a visit to Islamabad that followed a major international conference in neighbouring Afghanistan. Rasmussen reiterated a NATO commitment to stay in Afghanistan beyond the planned end of combat operations in 2014, and said he understood Pakistan’s vital role […]

Azerbaijan Accession to NATO Long-Term Project

By Alexandros Petersen

News.Az interviews Alexandros Petersen, senior fellow at the Eurasia Centre at US think-tank the Atlantic Council. Do you view Azerbaijan as a NATO member in the nearest perspective? In the short-term, Azerbaijan will not be a NATO member for two reasons: the Alliance is wary of extending full membership to the South Caucasus countries due […]

Ukraine takes up duty in NATO Response Force

By Interfax-Ukraine

From Interfax-Ukraine:  Ukraine has for the first time taken up duty in the NATO Response Force (NRF) of the 15th rotation. NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Admiral James Stavridis reported this in a note of thanks addressed to the Ukrainian side, Interfax-Ukraine learned in the Mission of Ukraine to NATO in Brussels on Tuesday. […]

800-pound gorillas and other critters

By Harlan Ullman

Despite ubiquitous references to 800-pound gorillas inhabiting imaginary rooms metaphorically constructed around highlighting or hiding critical issues, few people have had that pleasure in practice. Yet, our patois has accepted and accommodated this interesting turn of phrase to describe a decisive or compelling fact or reality that dominates a particular issue. To turn to the […]

NATO official reveals heated exchange between Gen. Petraeus and Secretary General

By Marc Tran and Jon Boone, the Guardian

From Marc Tran and Jon Boone, the Guardian:  Plans to begin handing control of provinces to Afghan security forces by the end of this year have been quietly dropped amid fears among European countries that Petraeus is less committed to a speedy transfer of power. The change of tack, revealed in the final communique from […]

Federalism for Afghanistan: Success Won’t Be Found in Kabul

By Derek Reveron

Even though we are about two months away from “surge force levels” in Afghanistan and five months away from the planned strategy review, a number of commentators have used the Stanley McChrystal – David Petraeus transition as an opportunity to reconsider the mission’s success. Unfortunately, military operations like those in Afghanistan defy the use of […]

Kabul conference communique confirms 2014 as key deadline

By the New York Times

From the New York Times:  The draft communiqué, which will be signed later Tuesday and was obtained by The New York Times, sets 2014 as the date when Afghanistan’s security forces will be in the lead in military operations throughout the country. The document sets the end of 2010 as the date for a more […]

Turkey’s PM argues new referendum more legitimate than 1982 Constitution

By the Hürriyet Daily News