Category: Blogs

Libya Op creating closer security relationship between Britain and France

By James Blitz, the Financial Times

From James Blitz, the Financial Times:  French officials are quick to talk up the warmth of the relationship. “Ideally we would have had a lot more time for our defence treaties to take effect before Libya got under way,” says a French diplomat.

McCain: Without victory in Libya, NATO’s finished

By Josiah Ryan, the Hill

From Josiah Ryan, the Hill:  Speaking on the Senate floor, [Linsey] Graham and [John] McCain bemoaned President Obama’s plan, announced on Wednesday, to begin a withdrawal of surge forces from Afghanistan

Update: NATO activities in Libya on June 23

By NATO

Ginsberg sees need for “European and Arab boots on the ground to back up” the rebels in Libya

By Marc Ginsberg, the Huffington Post

From Marc Ginsberg, the Huffington Post:  I have long argued that Gaddafi and his fate is a foolish strategic distraction for the U.S. and that we have no business risking American lives or treasure in Libya since the future of Gaddafi’s regime is largely a European and Arab world matter.

French diplomats: “France is losing the battle of soft power”

By Catherine Bremer, Reuters

From Catherine Bremer, Reuters:  A group of French diplomats complained on Thursday that budget cuts were hampering the country’s ability to conduct foreign policy and eroding its diplomatic influence in the world. The diplomats, some retired and others still working, criticised President Nicolas Sarkozy’s foreign affairs policy in an anonymous article in the daily Le […]

France announces gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

By Reuters

From Reuters:  French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would follow the United States in starting a gradual troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a move likely to boost him before a 2012 election campaign.

Obama may be sabotaging his own Afghanistan strategy

By the Editors of the Washington Post

From the Editors of the Washington Post:  President Obama failed to offer a convincing military or strategic rationale for the troop withdrawals from Afghanistan that he announced Wednesday night.

Victory Is the Answer in Libya

By Joe Lieberman and Marco Rubio, the Wall Street Journal

From Joe Lieberman and Marco Rubio, the Wall Street Journal:  The deepening confrontation between the White House and Congress over Libya is both counterproductive and unnecessary.

Obama’s Plan Reignites German Withdrawal Debate

By Matthias Gebauer, Spiegel

From Matthias Gebauer, Spiegel:  Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière said it most clearly when he said the Germans feared the US withdrawal would trigger a domino effect.

Morocco Bets on Reform

By Peter Pham

At a time when, as the experts assembled at a symposium earlier this month hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Ansari Africa Center noted, the fate of both the “Arab Spring” in general and the North African revolutions in particular remain far from certain, Morocco has made an audacious bet with the new constitution that King […]