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New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2010

Germany Can’t Afford Military Conscription

By James Joyner

Germany’s new coalition government has cut the period military conscripts must serve from nine months to six. And there’s a fair chance they’ll end mandatory service altogether. It’s about time. There’s little doubt that the draft has long ended its military usefulness. The United States has relied on an all-volunteer force since 1973 and almost […]

New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2010

EU Hydra: Which Head to Talk To?

By Matthew Czekaj

Since the ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, a new joke has been circulating in Brussels: in response to Henry Kissinger’s inquiry as to who to call to speak to ‘Europe,’ that number finally exists.

European Union International Organizations

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

Hands Off the Bundeswehr

By Volker Rühe and Ulrich Weisser, der Spiegel

From Volker Rühe and Ulrich Weisser, der Spiegel:  The mistakes were made intentionally and against every informed advice. In its coalition agreement, the new German government of the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union and the Free Democratic Party agreed to reduce the period of compulsory military service from nine months to six months until […]

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

NATO and Russia: Trust, but make military plans

By the Economist

From the Economist:  In the heart of NATO’s military headquarters, SHAPE, near the Belgian city of Mons, an unspoken revolution is taking place: planners are thinking about how to defend eastern European members from Russian attack.

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2010

Possible Deliverables at OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan: Part 1

By Vladimir Socor

Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OSCE, to be crowned by the summit of 56 heads of state in Astana, can hardly ignore Russia’s challenges to the post-Cold War international order (EDM, July 27). Fortuitously, Kazakhstan’s chairmanship and the summit coincide with round anniversaries of the OSCE’s fundamental documents: the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 […]

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

Taliban congratulates Netherlands for pulling soldiers out of Afghanistan

By Bruno Waterfield, the Telegraph

From Bruno Waterfield, the Telegraph:  Almost 2,000 Dutch troops have been deployed in the Uruzgan region, where the Taliban is active and opium production is high. The final contingent of 250 Dutch soldiers will be withdrawn on Sunday, after strong domestic opposition to participation in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

Russia plans second military base in Kyrgyzstan

By Andrew Osborn and Richard Orange, the Telegraph

From Andrew Osborn and Richard Orange, the Telegraph:  The Kremlin tried and failed to win approval for the base in the south of the country last year but saw its chances evaporate when the man it was close to making a deal with, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was deposed in a coup earlier this year.

United States and Canada

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

National Security Advisor wrestles with Pakistan problem

By David Ignatius, the Washington Post

From David Ignatius, the Washington Post:  "These safe havens are a big question mark in terms of our success rate," Gen. Jim Jones, the national security adviser, said in an interview Tuesday at the White House. He noted that the Taliban and its affiliates have used these havens to arm, train, regroup and gather intelligence […]

United States and Canada

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

Afghan president asks why allies won’t act on Pakistan

By David Fox, Reuters

From David Fox, Reuters:  Afghan President Hamid Karzai questioned on Thursday the willingness of his Western allies to strike insurgent bases in Pakistan given the strong evidence of Islamabad’s support for the Taliban. "The war against terrorism is not in the villages or houses of Afghanistan … but in the sanctuaries, sources of funding and […]

United States and Canada

NATOSource

Jul 29, 2010

Tonga sends troops to Afghanistan

By Bonnie Malkin, the Telegraph

From Bonnie Malkin, the Telegraph:  While most countries in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are plotting an exit date from the war-ravaged country, the Tongan government has committed 275 of its soldiers over two years. Ruling that Afghanistan was a safer destination for Tongan troops than Iraq, the government will send an initial 55 […]

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