Category: Blogs

Russia, Canada in rivalry over Arctic resources

By Nataliya Vasilyeva, the AP

From Nataliya Vasilyeva, the AP:  The foreign ministers of Russia and Canada both said Thursday they expect the United Nations to rule in favor of their nations’ respective rival claims to Arctic resources. Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed […]

Missile defense key to boosting Russia ties: NATO

By David Brunnstrom and Charles Dick, Reuters

From David Brunnstrom and Charles Dick, Reuters:  Russian participation in a planned missile defense shield in Europe could open the door to progress in other areas such as reducing nuclear and conventional weapons, the head of NATO will say on Friday. But in a speech he will make in Rome, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen […]

US urges NATO to build “cyber shield”

By AFP

From AFP:  NATO must build a "cyber shield" to protect the transatlantic alliance from any Internet threats to its military and economic infrastructures, a top US defence official said Wednesday. Cyber security is a "critical element" for the 28-nation alliance to embrace at its summit of leaders in Lisbon on November 19-20, US Deputy Defence […]

Turning Point in Turkish Democracy

By James Joyner

Turkey reformed its constitution over the weekend, in what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised "will go down in history as a turning point in Turkish democracy." But there’s strong disagreement over which way it’s headed. Both the United States and the EU lauded the measures. Some 58 percent of Turkish voters Sunday voted in […]

Europeans’ Afghan Apathy and Consequences for NATO

By Steve Hynd

Across the pond, public support for NATO’s out-of-area adventure is cratering. The wide-ranging Transatlantic Trends study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) also saw deep divisions between Europe and the United States on how to handle Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While 51 percent of Americans said they were confident that Afghanistan could […]

Senate Committee Approves Arms Treaty With Russia

By Peter Baker, the New York Times

From Peter Baker, the New York Times:  President Obama’s arms control treaty with Russia advanced to the Senate floor on Thursday with bipartisan support, giving it a major boost toward ratification despite the election-year polarization that has divided the parties over so many other issues. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14 to 4 to […]

Kerry and DeMint spar over missile defense

By Josh Rogin, the Cable

From Josh Rogin, the Cable:  At today’s Senate Foreign Relations committee business meeting on New START, chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Republican Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) got into an open argument about whether the United States should build a giant missile defense system

Yanukovych’s Democratic Steamroller

By Alexander Motyl

Ukraine’s already weak democracy has just received three body blows from the government of President Viktor Yanukovych.

Major reorganization for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla

By Interfax

Premature to discuss NATO peacekeepers in Karabakh conflict zone – Simmons

By Interfax

From Interfax:  It is premature to discuss possible deployment of NATO peacekeepers in the Karabakh conflict zone, NATO Special Envoy for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons told a Wednesday press conference in Yerevan. That will require consent of the warring parties and the OSCE Minsk Group, he said. There is no such […]