Category: Blogs

At Turkey’s request, NATO leaders agree to meet Tuesday to discuss Syrian attack

By Justyna Pawlak, Reuters

From Justyna Pawlak, Reuters:  Envoys from NATO member states will meet on Tuesday after Turkey requested consultations over the downing of its military jet by Syria, a NATO spokeswoman said on Sunday. "Turkey has requested consultations under article 4 of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty. Under article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the […]

Mohamed Morsy Declared Egypt’s President, Securing 51.73% of the Total Votes

By Nancy Messieh

After a week’s worth of speculation, a three day delay, and a one hour speech, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) has named the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsy, the winner of Egypt’s first free and fair elections and the country’s first civilian president. Farouk Sultan, the Chairman of the Supreme Consitutional Court of Egypt and […]

Turkey wants NATO to discuss response to downing of Turkish plane by Syria

By the AP

From the AP:  Turkey is calling on NATO to discuss a response to Syria’s downing of a Turkish jet in what Turkish leaders insist was international airspace.

Putin: Finland will lose ‘sovereignty’ if it joins NATO

By RT

From RT:   Saying that Finland will surrender its right to act independently in the event it joins the western military alliance, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin added that Moscow will respond to deployment of any NATO attack missiles based in the Nordic country.

Turkish and international leaders respond to Syrian attack on Turkish jet

By the AP

Confrontation between Syria and Turkey will not lead to war with NATO

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  [T]he operative word that almost certainly disqualifies this incident from an Article 5 response is "attack."

Members of Assad’s inner circle ‘making secret plans to defect’

By Ruth Sherlock, Suha Maayeh, and Peter Foster, the Telegraph

From Ruth Sherlock, Suha Maayeh, and Peter Foster, the Telegraph:  Members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle are secretly making plans to defect to the opposition

How would NATO respond to Syria shooting down a Turkish plane?

By Uri Friedman, Passport

From Uri Friedman, Passport:  If Turkey has reason to believe that Syria shot down its plane, might NATO respond in a similar fashion?

Official statement by Syrian military on shooting down Turkish jet

By H. Sabbagh, SANA

From H. Sabbagh, SANA:  A military spokesman issued the following statement: