Category: NATOSource

Senators Willing to Sack Eikenberry and Holbrooke

By Fox News

From Fox News:  Two influential senators suggested Sunday that President Obama clean house on the civilian side of his Afghanistan war team if Gen. David Petraeus cannot get along with the same diplomats who may have sparred with outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Ambiguity over Afghanistan Deadline to be Key Question in Petraeus Confirmation

By Senator John McCain

From Senator John McCain:  "The concern that we have is, and the issue that will be raised in General [David] Petraeus‘ confirmation hearings is, exactly what is meant by ‘withdrawal in the middle of 2011,’ whether that is ‘etched in stone’ as the President’s spokesperson … stated or whether it will be conditions based.

As Generals Change, Afghan Debate Narrows to 2 Powerful Voices

By Mark Landler and Helene Cooper, the New York Times

From Mark Landler and Helene Cooper, the New York Times:  President [Barack] Obama insisted he was switching military leaders, not strategies, when he fired General McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, on Wednesday. But administration insiders acknowledge that there have been preliminary discussions about whether to rethink the approach to a war that is clearly […]

Afghanistan withdrawal before 2015, says David Cameron

By Patrick Wintour, the Guardian

From Patrick Wintour, the Guardian: David Cameron today gave the first clear indication of the timing for a full withdrawal of British soldiers from Afghanistan, saying that he wanted troops home within five years. Asked in Canada at the Toronto summit if he wanted UK forces home before the 2015 general election, he said: "I […]

Bulgaria may join NATO missile shield in future: minister

By Xinhua

From Xinhua:  Bulgarian Defense Minister Anyu Angelov indicated Friday that the country may join the NATO missile shield in the future and link its air defense to the bloc’s missile defense system. Angelov told a press conference that he will pay an one-week official visit to the United States starting Saturday. There he will receive […]

In Europe, U.S. Allies Target Defense Budgets

By Stephen Fidler, Alistair MacDonald, and Patrick McGroarty, the Wall Street Journal

Obama’s Fuzzy Deadline: No to “switching off the lights,” Yes to “begin a transition phase”

By Barack Obama, the White House

From Barack Obama, the White House:  Our mission, first and foremost, is to dismantle and destroy al Qaeda and its affiliates so that they can’t attack the United States.  The reason we’re there in the first place is because 3,000 Americans were killed from an attack launched in that region.

The Afghanistan Clock

By James Dobbins, Foreign Policy

From James Dobbins, Foreign Policy:  President Obama has now swapped one distinguished general for another. But he urgently needs to address the underlying issue dividing his administration: Is July 2011 a real deadline for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing, or just a clever domestic political ploy?

Poland sets 2012 Afghanistan pull-out deadline

By Reuters

From Reuters: Poland urged its NATO allies on Thursday to draft a new strategy for leaving Afghanistan and said it would bring its own troops home by 2012 regardless of what other countries decided. Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski, who is the frontrunner in a presidential election due on July 4, said Warsaw would try to […]

Russia-Belarus “Gas War” is Over

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Russia resumed gas supplies to Belarus on Thursday and paid gas transit debts to Minsk in a move to ease fears of supply cuts to the European Union, which has called the dispute an attack on the entire bloc. Belarus said it had yet to receive the payments for transit but was ready […]