Category: Blogs

Petraeus’ Afghanistan Reality

By Shuja Nawaz

President Obama’s decision to replace General Stanley McChrystal with Centcom commander General David Petraeus has unleashed a tidal wave of commentary, with expectations that the second coming of Petraeus will yield results in Afghanistan that perhaps were unattainable before. Nothing could be further from reality. Indeed, the underlying situation in Afghanistan and — don’t forget […]

Poland sets 2012 Afghanistan pull-out deadline

By Reuters

From Reuters: Poland urged its NATO allies on Thursday to draft a new strategy for leaving Afghanistan and said it would bring its own troops home by 2012 regardless of what other countries decided. Acting President Bronislaw Komorowski, who is the frontrunner in a presidential election due on July 4, said Warsaw would try to […]

Desperate Times Mean Desperate Measures in Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

The financial crisis continues to wreak havoc in Europe. Beyond Greece, we’ve been told Spain is especially at risk. But even more established market economies have taken steps towards cutting debt and providing relief to struggling citizens.

Time for Transatlantic Leadership

By Stuart Eizenstat and Caio Koch-Weser

Saturday the leaders of the G20 will convene for a pivotal meeting on the future of global economic policy and financial market reform. Their first gathering in 2008 set a strong and encouraging tone of greater international cooperation. Less than two years on, this important spirit is getting lost.

Russia-Belarus “Gas War” is Over

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Russia resumed gas supplies to Belarus on Thursday and paid gas transit debts to Minsk in a move to ease fears of supply cuts to the European Union, which has called the dispute an attack on the entire bloc. Belarus said it had yet to receive the payments for transit but was ready […]

White House: Georgia’s security has improved due to the Russian reset

By Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

British Lt. Gen. Nick Parker acting Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan

By the White House

From the White House:  Following up on earlier conversations between their national security teams, President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron spoke today on Afghanistan.  The Prime Minister confirmed that U.K. Lieutenant General Nick Parker would serve as the acting Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force mission until a new U.S. Commander is confirmed by […]

British Security Policy – the US or the EU?: Choose Your Partners

By Anand Menon, Chatham House

Bulgaria to send more troops to Afghanistan

By the AP

From the AP:  Bulgaria says it will send 65 more troops to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan in early September. The government said in a statement Wednesday that 10 of the soldiers will be medical personnel based in Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, and 10 will be instructors for the Afghan army. The […]

NATO Units discover live mine during exercise BALTOPS 2010

By NATO Maritime Command

From NATO Maritime Command: During the latest exercise, BALTOPS 2010, currently taking place in the Gulf of Finland NATO units not only found and destroyed the dummy exercise mines but they also found a few live mines and other underwater explosive devices which had lain on the sea bed since World War 2.