Category: Blogs

NATO rejects Turkey’s request for a no-fly zone over Syria

By Serkan Demirtaş, Hurriyet Daily News

Britain announces cuts of 17 major Army units

By Andrew Chuter, Defense News

From Andrew Chuter, Defense News:  Seventeen major units are to be culled by the British Army as part of a transformation plan that will see regular force personnel numbers reduced to 82,000 from the current level of 102,000, the defense secretary announced July 5.

Russia is making a very good case for Finland to join NATO

By Edward Lucas, European Voice

From Edward Lucas, European Voice:  [Russia] has launched a campaign of verbal intimidation against Finland, seemingly aimed at stopping the country from joining NATO.

Russia pushes Tajikistan to accept military base deal

By Thomas Grove and Roman Kozhevnikov, Reuters

From Thomas Grove and Roman Kozhevnikov, Reuters:  Russia pressed Tajikistan on Thursday to accept a deal that would extend Moscow’s lease on a military base in the strategically important country

NATO flexes muscles on terror in Med Sea

By Erdem Güneş, Hurriyet Daily News

From Erdem Güneş, Hurriyet Daily News:  A key NATO maritime group has begun flexing its muscles in the Mediterranean as it sets off from Istanbul with a mission to combat terrorism in the sea.

Bomber Boys

By Julian Lindley-French

It is sixty-seven years too late. The Bomber Boys gaze over me looking exhaustedly and exhaustively for comrades who will never return. Seven RAF Bomber Command aircrew cast in bronze probably just off a Lancaster that has somehow miraculously survived a World War Two ‘trip’ over Nazi Germany.

Bodies of Turkish pilots recovered from seabed

By Selcan Hacaoglu, the AP

From Selcan Hacaoglu, the AP:  The bodies of two Turkish pilots were recovered from the seabed on Thursday after U.S. ocean explorer Robert Ballard, best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, helped locate them nearly two weeks after their jet was shot down by Syria.

Top News: Constituent Assembly Discusses Freedom of Religion, Future of the Presidency

By Tarek Radwan

Freedom of religion, the fate of the Information Ministry and the possibility of re-staging presidential elections after the constitution is drafted were all discussed during the Constituent Assembly’s meeting on Wednesday. The assembly’s rights and freedoms committee discussed eight out of 17 articles related to freedoms, agreeing that the article on freedom of religion should […]

July 4th and September 11th

By Harlan Ullman

For polar opposite reasons, two dates currently loom large in the American psyche. This July 4th marked the 236th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the war that would turn 13 English colonies in America into the United States. Sept. 11, 2001, was the day al-Qaida turned four American airliners into […]

NATO Secretary General sets out strategic vision for a globally connected Alliance

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  How can the Trans-Atlantic community keep its global power of attraction and influence?