Category: Blogs

Is an independent Europe a more honorable alternative to NATO?

By Martin Kettle, the Guardian

From Martin Kettle, the Guardian:  The great achievement of Nato is that it has helped to keep the peace in Europe – with occasional exceptions – for more than 60 years. The longer this peace lasts, and the more distant the memory of war becomes, the more it needs to be reiterated that this is […]

Britain’s Vision for Lisbon

By  Nigel Sheinwald, the Hill 

From Nigel Sheinwald, the Hill :  Tomorrow, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron join other NATO leaders in Lisbon for a Summit meeting that will define the future of the Alliance.

Getting Natural Gas to the Balkans

By Borut Grgic

Following years of conflict, international isolation and slow growth, the Balkan countries are on an economic revival track, with GDP growth hovering around 5 percent. Sure, the numbers are more impressive in China, India, Brazil and Turkey, but when compared to the rest of Europe, the Balkan economies are doing great. That is the good […]

Latvia: What NATO means for us

NATO has released new videos on YouTube providing national perspectives on the Alliance.

A Plan to Blunt the Impact on NATO of European Defence Cuts

By Hans Binnendijk and Richard Kugler

Austerity budgets in Europe will mean that key NATO members are going to cut their defence costs in ways that could damage the alliance’s military preparedness. Britain’s defence cuts could total as much as 20% by 2014-2015, and Germany and France plan to reduce their defence budgets by about 6% through 2013, and their forces […]

Obama on Afghanistan, a Nuclear Alliance, and the NATO-Russia Reset

By Barack Obama, the International Herald Tribune

From Barack Obama, the International Herald Tribune:  Neither Europe nor the United States can confront the challenges of our time without the other.

Breaking the Security Cooperation Logjam Between Russia and the West

By Tomáš Karásek and Jakub Kulhanek

NATO is gearing up to meet in Lisbon to sign off on its new strategic doctrine and Russia is in the spotlights again with a new offer of partnership with the Alliance in the pipelines. Yet, despite vague proclamations the current rapprochement on security matters lacks any solid foundation on which the West and Russia […]

NATO’s Missing Agenda Item in Lisbon

By Ian Brzezinski

As NATO leaders prepare for their summit in Lisbon this week, attention has focused on the war in Afghanistan, approval of a new Strategic Concept (NATO’s roadmap for the future), and the challenge of sustaining the alliance’s military capabilities in an era of fiscal crisis. Missing from the agenda is the future of the U.S. […]

German Alert Followed Namibian Airport Scare

By Michael Slackman and Eric Schmitt, the New York Times

From Michael Slackman and Eric Schmitt, the New York Times:  Namibian authorities halted and searched a flight bound for Munich on Wednesday morning after luggage screeners found an untagged laptop bag containing batteries wired to a fuse and clock, a discovery made just hours before Germany issued a rare security alert.