Category: NATOSource

Al Qaeda turns tide for rebels in battle for eastern Syria

By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, the Guardian

From Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, the Guardian:  Abu Khuder and his men fight for al-Qaida. They call themselves the ghuraba’a, or "strangers", after a famous jihadi poem celebrating Osama bin Laden’s time with his followers in the Afghan mountains

Can a New ‘NATO’ Deter Iran?

By Zachary K. Goldman & Mira Rapp-Hooper, the Diplomat

Turkey’s New Ballistic Missile Program Raises Eyebrows and Concerns

By Aaron Stein, World Politics Review

From Aaron Stein, World Politics Review:  Ankara remains far too dependent on Washington for its intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities.

Prosecutors say alleged Syrian spy tried to infiltrate German intelligence service

By the AP

Widening Gaps in U.S. and European Defense Capabilities and Cooperation

By Charles Barry and Hans Binnendijk, Center for Transatlantic Security Studies

From Charles Barry and Hans Binnendijk, Center for Transatlantic Security Studies:  The national defense budgets of many NATO nations, purposefully held down over many years before the economic crisis, have been forced abruptly lower still under the duress of unexpectedly severe economic conditions.

Taliban happy Pakistan reopened NATO supply line

By Mirwais Khan, the AP

From Mirwais Khan, the AP:  As the United States trumpeted its success in persuading Pakistan to end its seven-month blockade of supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan, another group privately cheered its good fortune: the Taliban.

Transatlantic free trade agreement could be worth two to three percent in GDP gains to EU and US

By Peter Westmacott, British Embassy

From Peter Westmacott, British Embassy: A deep, comprehensive, state of the art free trade and investment agreement between the European Union and the United States is, in my view, both the greatest challenge and the biggest prize on the trade policy market today. It is a chance for us to set the standard for 21st […]

Why is China’s Navy in the Mediterranean?

By J. Michael Cole, the Diplomat

From J. Michael Cole, the Diplomat:  For the first time since China’s re-emergence as a power to be reckoned with, Western powers are being confronted with scenarios involving the risk of clashes with Chinese military forces outside the Asian giant’s backyard.

Cyber investigators expose details of ‘vast hacking industry in China’

By Michael Riley and Dune Lawrence, Bloomberg

Hackers steal emails from Van Rompuy and 10 other senior EU officials

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  Hackers last summer raided the emails of EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy and 10 other senior officials.