Atlantic Council blogs

NATO Code Compromised

By Bill Gertz, the Washington Times

From Bill Gertz, the Washington Times:  The recent crash of a Polish military transport that killed most of Warsaw’s senior civilian and military leaders was not only a human catastrophe for a key U.S. ally. NATO sources said that, in addition to the loss of nearly 100 pro-U.S. Polish leaders, the crash provided Moscow with […]

NATO F-16 Follows Russian Bombers Over Norwegian Sea

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti: Russian Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the Norwegian Sea, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers took off from Engels Airbase [in Saratov Region] on May 12 and carried out patrols over neutral waters in Norwegian Sea," spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik […]

Britain’s Speedy Transitions

By James Joyner

In American presidential elections, held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the new president is sworn in at noon on January 20 and he has his full team in place in, oh, two years.   In the UK, the transition customarily takes place quite literally overnight and, when it takes a whole week […]

Goodbye to Europe?

By James Joyner

"It is more than a little ironic that NATO has committed itself to defining a new strategic concept at precisely the moment the transatlantic relationship counts for less than at any time since the 1930s."  So begins an FT op-ed by CFR president Richard Haass.

The EU, NATO and the Limits of Burdensharing

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist: Since 1949, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has bound NATO members to a solemn vow: an armed attack on one of the alliance shall be treated as an attack against all. With international markets closed to Greece, and contagion threatening Portugal and Spain, European Union leaders agreed to a […]

In First Move, Cameron Cultivates UK Role in Europe’s “Triangle of Power”

By the New York Times

14 US Troops Receive Medals for Rescuing German Soldiers

By the AP

From the AP:  Fourteen U.S. service members have received Germany’s Gold Cross Medal for their bravery in extracting wounded German soldiers from a firefight in northeast Afghanistan – the first time the award has been given to troops from another nation.

The Case for the New START Treaty

By Robert Gates, the Wall Street Journal

From Robert Gates, the Wall Street Journal: The key question then and in the decades since has always been the same: Is the United States better off with an agreement or without it? The answer for each successive president has always been "with an agreement." The U.S. Senate has always agreed, approving each treaty by […]

Former Air Force Chief: Russia’s Air Defenses Weak

By AP

From AP:  Russia is lagging 25 to 30 years behind the United States in developing prospective air defense weapons because of a meltdown of its defense industries, a former Russian air force chief said Thursday. Retired Gen. Anatoly Kornukov said Russia has only a reduced capability to protect itself from an enemy attack – a […]

Greek, Turkish PMs Meet, Discuss Defence Cuts

By Reuters

From Reuters: The prime ministers of longtime rivals Greece and Turkey met on Friday to ease tensions and discuss cuts in defence spending, a crucial step for Athens as it struggles with a debt crisis that is shaking the euro. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens with 10 ministers and about 80 businessmen to […]