Category: NATOSource

NATO is increasing resources to try get Afghans ready to take over from security firms

By the AP

From the AP:  NATO is pouring extra resources to set up an Afghan force to take over from private security firms after a report showed the Afghans are unlikely to be ready for the planned disbanding of private security companies in March, officials said Wednesday.

The impact of success in Libya on future NATO operations

By Gordon Robison, Gulf News

From Gordon Robison, Gulf News:   [T]he haste with which Nato leaders moved to announce their exit from Libya effective Monday, bordered on the unseemly, especially since the NTC itself was publicly calling on Nato to stay on until the end of the year and expand its mission to include securing the country’s borders.

NATO in Libya: Is Syria Next?

By Robert Dreyfuss, the Nation

From Robert Dreyfuss, the Nation:  Now that NATO is closing up shop in Libya, will it turn to Syria? Right now, the answer is no. But if the fragmented Syrian opposition—bolstered by Turkey, a member of NATO, which is turning increasingly against Syrian President Assad—manages to set up a Benghazi-like enclave either inside Syria or […]

Kyrgyz president-elect wants U.S. air base closed

By Robin Paxton, Reuters

Roger Cohen: Leading from behind “was smart policy in Libya”

By Roger Cohen, the New York Times

From Roger Cohen, the New York Times:  Leading from behind — a phrase first used by a White House adviser in a New Yorker article by Ryan Lizza — was smart policy in Libya.

End of NATO’s Libya Intervention Means Financial Relief for Allies

By Jessica Rettig, U.S. News & World Report

From Jessica Rettig, U.S. News & World Report:  With burgeoning concerns over government spending, cost had been a point of resistance among some members of Congress and the public over U.S. involvement in Libya.

Secretary General rules out NATO intervention in Syria

By Reuters

From Reuters:   NATO ruled out the possibility of military intervention in Syria Monday but said Damascus should draw lessons from Libya, where NATO-backed rebels won a civil war that resulted in the killing of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Hillary’s War: Clinton credited with key role in success of NATO airstrikes, Libyan rebels

By Joby Warrick, the Washington Post

From Joby Warrick, the Washington Post:   At 5:45 p.m. on March 19, three hours before the official start of the air campaign over Libya, four French Rafale jet fighters streaked across the Mediterranean coastline to attack a column of tanks heading toward the rebel city of Benghazi.

Secretary General visits Tripoli on final day of NATO’s operation in Libya

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  NATO’s top official on Monday praised the alliance’s 7-month sea and air campaign in Libya — a key in ousting longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi — saying the mission’s end Monday marks the close of a “successful chapter in NATO’s history.”