Category: Blogs

9/11 Imbroglio

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

No sooner did Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggest from the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly that most of the world believes the U.S. government was involved in a 9/11 conspiracy, than 32 nations followed the U.S. delegation as it walked out. These were members of NATO, the European Union (21 countries are members of […]

U.S. again asking NATO for trainers for Afghanistan

By Julian Barnes, the Wall Street Journal

From Julian Barnes, the Wall Street Journal:The top U.S. general in charge of training in Afghanistan will ask allied leaders Monday for about 1,000 more specialized trainers, with the aim of speeding up the buildup of the country’s security forces ahead of a transfer of control to the Afghan government.

Afghan Realities

By James Stavridis

Gilles Dorronsoro, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, argued in the New York Times on Sept. 15 that the Western coalition will not defeat the insurgency in Afghanistan, and “needs to start facing reality and begin negotiating with the Taliban before it’s too late.” NATO’s commander responds.

EU risks US-China domination with military cuts: France

By Laurent Thomet, AFP

From Laurent Thomet, AFP:  Europe decided Friday to explore how to strengthen military cooperation as France warned that drastic defence budget cuts would leave the continent under Sino-American domination. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he had told his European Union counterparts at a meeting in Ghent, Belgium, that plans to step up European military […]

Gates resignation a factor in Obama’s Afghanistan decision

By Bob Woodward, the Washington Post

From Bob Woodward, the Washington Post:  The military did not understand, he [President Obama] said. "It’d be a lot easier for me to go out and give a speech saying, ‘You know what? The American people are sick of this war, and we’re going to put in 10,000 trainers because that’s how we’re going to […]

Does the Obama Administration view our European allies “with general disdain?”

By  S.W., the Economist

From S.W., the Economist:  My colleague in this space last week delightfully dismembered Dinesh D’Souza’s nutty Forbes piece “analyzing” Mr Obama’s worldview and thought processes, but the fact remains that this administration does seem to view our old European allies with general disdain.

Obama urges Kyrgyz President to let in OSCE Police Advisory Group

Whitehouse statement at favstocks.com:  President Obama met with Kyrgyzstani President Roza Otunbayeva in New York today to discuss ways to deepen our relations based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

UK to protect 3 shared priorities with US from defense cuts

By AFP

From AFP:  London has sought to reassure anxious US officials that plans for major defense cuts will not undermine its status as Washington’s most important military ally, officials said Friday. Amid US concerns over London’s plans to slash 10 to 20 percent in military spending, Defence Secretary Liam Fox told his US counterpart, Robert Gates, […]

China displays projection of air power in Central Asian exercises

By Martin Sieff, Central Asia Newswire