Category: Blogs

Mali: Now What?

By Julian Lindley-French

Oscar Wilde once wrote “One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is that things are what they are and will be what they will be.” As I witness the French, British, and other Europeans rush to offer their very little militaries in support of an expanding Mali mission I am reminded of that […]

Erdogan and his generals

By Economist

For a Better Nuclear Future, Move Beyond Global Zero

By Robert Manning

More than four years after President Barack Obama’s 2009 Prague speech declared the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide, the nuclear landscape has become more complex and precarious and shows little sign of movement toward abolition. The so-called global zero initiative has arguably been overtaken by countervailing nuclear realities. Yet the administration remains mired in […]

NATO will be able to deploy cyber Rapid Reaction Teams by autumn 2013

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  NATO has continued to implement its new cyber defence policy through a comprehensive and ambitious action plan launched in October 2011.

Rasmussen: In 2012, NATO ‘sought to broaden its partnerships and reinforce existing ones’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  At a time of complex and unpredictable global risks and threats, delivering security must be a cooperative effort. NATO continues to strengthen its connections with other countries and organisations around the globe, reflecting the commitment to cooperative security outlined in the 2010 Strategic Concept.

Secretary General: ‘Three serious gaps’ threaten NATO’s ‘military capacity and political credibility’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  [D]efence spending among the Allies is increasingly uneven, not just between North America and Europe, but also among European Allies.

Will Mali become France’s Afghanistan?

By Laura Seay, Foreign Policy

From Laura Seay, Foreign Policy:  How is Mali different from Afghanistan? First, Mali is not where empires go to die.

Top News: Egyptian Politicians Renounce Violence at Crisis Talks

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s feuding politicians renounced violence on Thursday after being summoned by the country’s most influential Muslim scholar to talks to end the deadliest unrest since President Mohamed Morsi took power.  GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Egypt politicians renounce violence at crisis talks Egypt’s feuding politicians renounced violence on Thursday after being summoned by the country’s most influential […]

Descent into Hell: The Demise of Amerian Politics

By Harlan Ullman

The Irish bon vivant Oscar Wilde naughtily observed that the reason the politics of academic life were so sharp was because the stakes were so small. In the United States today, politics are growing even sharper and nastier because the stakes are so huge.

Deputy Prime Minister: France sold Russia Mistral warships that ‘won’t work in cold’

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Two amphibious assault ships bought for the Russian Navy from France in a 1.2 billion euro deal will not be able to operate in temperatures below seven degrees centigrade, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin admitted on Saturday, in critical comments about the contract.