Category: Blogs

Poland assumes NATO Baltic air policing duty

By the AP

From the AP:  Poland’s air force will continue policing the airspace of three Baltic countries as part of its role in a NATO mission, despite one of them — Lithuania — refusing to attend joint talks, the president said on April 17.

Syria condemns Turkey for NATO talk

By the Daily Star

From the Daily Star:  The foreign ministry on Saturday accused Turkey of provocation with its talk of asking NATO to help protect its border with Syria, saying such action went against the U.N.-backed peace plan.

Edogan repeats warning to Syria of NATO action if ‘border violations’ continue

By Hurriyet Daily News

From Hurriyet Daily News:  Turkey warned Syria today not to repeat border violations, implying that it could use force to protect its border and call on NATO to respond to a potential Syrian attack.

Deputy PM: Turkey helping develop Tunisian security and intelligence units

By Gozde Nur Donat, Today's Zaman

Why We Need a Smart NATO

By Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist:  The simple fact of strategic life is this. We live in a world of some seven billion plus souls all with legitimate needs and aspirations organized unevenly into more unstable and failing states than at any time since 1648

Top News: Prime Minister Says Parliament Has No Right to Dissolve Cabinet

By Mara Revkin

Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri responded to Parliamentary Speaker Saad al-Katatny’s calls for his resignation, saying “The government will not stop down. We are governed by the Constitutional Declaration, which does not give parliament the right to withdraw confidence.”

Egypt’s Transition in Danger of Regression

By Ahmed Morsy

The word “transition” implies both an origin and a destination, yet Egypt’s transitional period is still circling around a dead-end.  The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has proven incompetent in leading the interim period, except in matters affecting the military. A bigger problem is that none of the other civil political forces in […]

House panel blocking Pentagon’s retirement of Global Hawk drones

By Zach Rosenberg, Flightglobal

From Zach Rosenberg, Flightglobal:  The House Armed Services Committee has made the first move to reverse the US Air Force’s controversial decision to retire the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 fleet.