Category: Blogs

Eurozone: Time For Drastic Action?

By James Joyner

IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn today said that, while he did not believe the euro was at risk, the EU must take  a more “comprehensive, integrated” plan rather than the current "piecemeal approach." These remarks, FT reports, come the day after a meeting with EU finance ministers yielded only frustration, with officials "divided over the two most high-profile proposals, increasing the […]

Wikileaks cables: Poland furious over getting “potted plants,” not missiles

By Ian Traynor, the Guardian

From Ian Traynor, the Guardian:  It is the biggest single concrete example of US support for Polish security on the ground. But the leaked embassy cables show that a battery of Patriot missiles in the north-east of the country lacked one crucial component – live missiles.

Georgia Arrests More Suspected Russian Spies

By the AP

From the AP:  Georgia has arrested six people suspected of being agents for Russia, accusing them of causing a series of explosions, including one outside the US embassy, officials said. [Deputy Interior Minister Eka] Zguladze said the six suspects are accused of staging an explosion outside the US embassy in Tbilisi in September and several […]

Russia objects to NATO plan to defend Baltics

By Slobodan Lekicby, the AP

WikiLeaks: One Foreign Service Officer’s View

By Susan Ball

As a career Foreign Service Officer, I guess I should be gratified that various analysts and news outlets have declared, as a result of leaked State Department dispatches, that the U.S. diplomatic corps is dedicated, astute and insightful.   However, I think I can speak for the majority of my colleagues when I say that […]

Ratify the New Start Treaty

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the International Herald Tribune

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the International Herald Tribune:  As a former member of the Danish Parliament, I know better than to tell U.S. senators what to do. But I do want to highlight the importance of the treaty from a NATO perspective.

NATO’s Secret Defense Plans for Baltics Revealed by Wikileaks

By Scott Shane, the New York Times

From Scott Shane, the New York Times:  When fighting broke out between Russia and Georgia in August 2008, a shudder passed through the former Soviet Baltic republics. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had painful memories of Soviet occupation and feared that a resurgent Russia might come after them next. They began lobbying NATO, which they had […]

It will Soon be Too Late to Stop the Cyberwars

By Bruce Schneier, the Financial Times

From Bruce Schneier, the Financial Times:  The world is gearing up for cyberwar. The US Cyber Command became operational in November. Nato has enshrined cyber security among its new strategic priorities.

Poland Signs Defense Agreement with Brazil

By Poland's Ministry of Defense

Italy Appoints New Military Chief Of Staff

By Tom Kington, Defense News