Category: Blogs

Medvedev Frowns

By David Smith

“It’s a victory! We are hosting the 2018 World Cup,” a beaming Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tweeted his countrymen, moments after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) made its December 2 announcement in Zurich. It was a big turnaround from the frown he wore just 24 hours earlier as he stormed off from the Astana Summit […]

Impact of German Defense Cuts on Force Structure and Procurement Decisions

By the International Institute for Strategic Studies

Change of Command in NATO Counter Piracy Task Force

By Allied Command Operations

Vietnam Syndrome?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. and NATO supremo in Afghanistan, is as well versed in the history of major post-World War II insurgencies as anyone alive today. From Lawrence of Arabia to Mao’s and Tito’s guerrilla triumphs to France’s 16 years of defeats in Indochina and Algeria, Petraeus knows it all — and […]

Obama faces fight over missile defense as he presses New START ratification

By Mary Beth Sheridan, the Washington Post

From Mary Beth Sheridan, the Washington Post:  With only days left in the lame-duck Congress, President [Barack] Obama is pushing hard to accomplish something never before done by a Democratic president: successfully get a nuclear arms-reduction treaty through the ratification process.

Kosovo elections: PM wins first post-independence vote

By the Telegraph

NATO official confirms defense plans for Russia’s neighbors

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  NATO has defense plans in regard to Russia for all neighboring NATO member countries including Poland and the Baltic republics, Director of the NATO Information Center in Moscow Robert Pszczel said on Monday. According to confidential U.S. diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks, NATO’s Military Committee agreed in January to expand Eagle Guardian, […]

NATO chief in Afghanistan seeks more AWACS planes

By Reuters

From Reuters:  The top commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan has requested more AWACS reconnaissance aircraft, an alliance official said Saturday, although a likely demand for Germany to contribute will meet strong political opposition. NATO headquarters in Brussels said it was looking into the request from General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. and NATO forces […]

Police probe Stockholm blasts as act of terrorism

By Mia Shanley and Niklas Pollard, Reuters

From Mia Shanley and Niklas Pollard, Reuters:  Police said on Sunday they were treating bomb blasts in Stockholm as an act of terrorism by a lone attacker that followed an emailed threat referring to Sweden’s troops in Afghanistan and to cartoons of Mohammad. Police stopped short of calling Saturday afternoon’s blasts, which killed the suspected […]