Category: Blogs

Italy and Russia Deepen Defense Relationship during Berlusconi Visit

By RIA Novsoti

From RIA Novsoti:  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are holding a meeting on the outskirts of the Russian southern city of Sochi as a part of the seventh round of Russian-Italian extended intergovernmental talks.

Obama: “We will never let this country serve as a safe haven for terrorists who will attack the United States of America again.”

By Ben Feller, the AP

From Ben Feller, the AP:  President Barack Obama told U.S. troops during a surprise holiday-season visit that they are making important progress in the war, and he pledged that Afghanistan would never again be a "safe haven for terrorists" who want to attack the United States.

Clinton Moves to Ease Tensions on Kyrgyz Base

By Mark Landler, the New York Times

Cables Discuss “Nefarious Connection” between Berlusconi and Putin

By Jim Heintz and Alessandra Rizzo,  the AP

From Jim Heintz and Alessandra Rizzo,  the AP:  The cable most critical of [Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi from the U.S. Embassy in Rome portrays him as essentially acting as a European mouthpiece for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.

Why it’s so hard for NATO to train Afghan forces

By Julius Cavendish, the Christian Science Monitor

From Julius Cavendish, the Christian Science Monitor:  Corruption, drug addiction, and too many Afghan deserters, make handing over power a daunting task, say NATO officials and Western diplomats.

NATO in Lisbon: A Moderate Success

By David Smith

Although the pre-summit hype—mostly generated by NATO itself—had observers thirsting for more, the 19-20 November NATO Lisbon Summit was a moderate success. The alliance took some measured steps toward dealing with new challenges, deftly sidestepped some political landmines and laid a reasonable foundation for the considerable work that remains. Perhaps most important, in Lisbon, NATO reinvigorated itself.

WikiLeaks Show American Diplomats in Good Light

By James Joyner

The WikiLeaks fiasco has doubtless lowered confidence in the American government’s ability to keep secrets and manage classified information.  The latest dump provided some embarrassing moments for the State Department in particular.  But they also showed that those handling America’s day-to-day foreign policy are quite capable.

European missile defense system either with Russia or against Russia – NATO envoy

By RIA Novosti

Cables Reveal NATO Split over Russia

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  One cable dealing with an extraordinary meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels on 12 August ran with the sub-heading: "Nato allies lack cohesion during first meeting on Georgia crisis."

Cables Praise French Friend With ‘Mercurial’ Side

By Katrin Bennhold, the New York Times

From Katrin Bennhold, the New York Times:  President Nicolas Sarkozy is an unusually solid French friend of America. He is also a “mercurial” man operating in “a zone of monarch-like impunity&rdquobreak–>; surrounded by advisers often too fearful to give honest counsel, according to leaked cables from the United States Embassy in Paris. “Élysée contacts have […]