Atlantic Council blogs

NATO Chief Warns Britain: Don’t Cut Your Defence Budget Too Deeply

By the Times (London)

From the Times (London): Nato’s Secretary-General warned Britain yesterday not to cut defence spending too deeply as it grapples with its budget deficit. In an interview with The Times, Anders Fogh Rasmussen advised all cash-strapped Nato members to use the tough economic climate as an opportunity to make their armed forces more efficient to tackle […]

Ukraine Drops NATO Membership Aim

By Reuters

From Reuters: Ukraine Thursday formally buried pursuit of NATO membership as an aim, its foreign minister declaring the issue had been taken off the policy agenda. It was the most clear-cut statement by the new leadership of President Viktor Yanukovich that the issue was a dead letter in Ukraine for the conceivable future. "Ukraine will […]

Azerbaijan – Turkey High Stakes Gas Deal

By Boyko Nitzov and Galib Abbaszade

Ever since the beginnings of the modern petroleum industry in Azerbaijan in the mid-19th century, the country has, despite being a major oil exporter, also been a net gas importer. It was only recently that production from Phase I of the Shah Deniz gas-condensate field picked up, along with output of associated gas at the […]

Is Obama’s Foreign Policy “Enemy-Centric?”

By Fred Hiatt, the Washington Post

From Fred Hiatt, the Washington Post:  Is the Obama administration’s foreign policy "enemy-centric?" That was the contention put forth this morning by a European who has been one of the most stalwart friends of the United States

Euro Crisis: Light at the End of the Tunnel?

By James Joyner

The Eurozone remains in real trouble despite recent efforts to strengthen the currency and allay the fears of investors.   Public sentiment in the North, especially Germany, is souring on the project.  But key governments are now starting to address their own budget crises, finally giving some reason for optimism. CSM correspondent Isabelle de Pommereau reports […]

Empty Patriot Launchers in Poland: “A Gun But No Ammunition”

By the AP

From the AP: For now, the U.S. has brought six mobile launchers for medium- to high-range Patriot missiles to Poland, but not the missiles themselves — similar to having a gun but no ammunition. The U.S. ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein, said missiles might arrive later. He, too, stressed that the equipment is only meant […]

Britain’s Nuclear Arsenal is 225 Warheads, Reveals William Hague

By Richard Norton-Taylor, the Guardian

A Hollow “Reset” with Russia

By Robert Kagan, the Washington Post

From Robert Kagan, the Washington Post:  [F]ew accomplishments have been more oversold than the Obama administration’s "success" in getting Russia to agree, for the fourth time in five years, to another vacuous U.N. Security Council resolution. It is being trumpeted as a triumph of the administration’s "reset" of the U.S.-Russian relationship, the main point of […]

Ukraine to Build Up Cooperation with NATO to Reform Armed Forces

By RIA Novosti