Category: Blogs

On Paper Morsi is More Powerful Than Mubarak and Tantawi Put Together

By Nancy Messieh

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) official Facebook page featured one new post on Monday: a CV of sorts detailing the 35 year military career of the new SCAF leader and Minister of Defense, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The post signals that President Mohamed Morsi’s  move on August 12, forcing SCAF heavyweights, Field Marshal Hussein […]

Surrender Not Britain’s Only Option

By Julian Lindley-French

Those of you of a certain vintage will remember those flinty, somewhat silly British war movies of the 1950s. The story line was always roughly the same; a plucky British soldier, invariably called Tommy, armed only with a broken toothbrush, elastic band and a piece of chewing gum would, after suffering much adversity, defeat an […]

Top News: Egypt Military Shows No Sign Of Opposing President

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s military has shown no sign of opposing the president’s surprise decision to retire the defense minister and chief of staff and seize back the powers the military grabbed from his office. Nearly a full day after the order, no unusual military movements were reported anywhere across the nation. 

‘Spillover may force Washington’ to intervene in Syria

By Kenneth M. Pollack, the Washington Post

From Kenneth M. Pollack, the Washington Post:  If Washington does choose to intervene, however, there are ways to reduce these risks. First, America could start providing lethal assistance, particularly more advanced anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons

Poland wants to build missile defense system with France, Germany

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Poland wants to cooperate with France and Germany on the establishment of its own missile defense system, Polish Press Agency reported on Saturday, quoting Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak as saying.

Czech diplomat warns that defense cuts are preventing NATO members from participating in joint ops

By CTK

$730 million gap in Czech military budget

By CTK

From CTK:  The Czech military is to lower the number of officers at its headquarters, including the General Staff, to slim down the commanding structure but the restructuring will not afflict combat units, Deputy Defence Minister Jiri Sedivy told CTK yesterday.

EU ambassadors blast Belarus over diplomatic spat with Sweden, mull new sanctions

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Belarus’s relations with the West took a turn for the worse on Friday as EU governments agreed to reprimand Minsk for expelling the Swedish ambassador in a row over a pro-democracy stunt involving an air drop of teddy bears on Belarus’s territory.

Belarus: Lithuania ‘must answer to us’ for role in ‘teddy bear incident’

By the Local (Sweden)