Category: Blogs

’I’m on Facebook, friend me’: top NATO commander

By AFP

From AFP: NATO must make better use of networking sites and other social media to explain to the public what it does, its new supreme allied commander in Europe said Friday — starting with his own Facebook page. Admiral James Stavridis, who took over as NATO’s top commander in Europe in July, admitted that ‘not […]

Bosnia vies for NATO membership but needs reforms

By Reuters

From Reuters: Bosnia took a first step on Friday towards joining NATO, but membership of the Western military alliance could take years while the Balkan country carries out required reforms. Bosnian officials submitted a request for a membership action plan to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He welcomed the application but said the country had […]

Obama vs. the Generals

By James Joyner

The underground clash between General Stanley McChrystal and the Obama administration has kicked into high gear, with two more four-stars joining  the fight: CENTCOM chief David Petraeus and National Security Advisor Jim Jones.

NATOSource: Was George Bush Also Responsible for the Georgia Conflict?

Jörg Himmelreich, one of the members of the commission that last week produced the EU’s report on the Georgia conflict, feels strongly that there was one important element missing from the report, blaming George Bush. Writing in the New York Times, Himmelreigh argues that; the report has a major flaw. It fails to thoroughly analyze […]

Nato commander warns of conflict with Russia in Arctic Circle

By the Times (UK)

From the Times (UK): Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned yesterday. Russia has recently been aggressive in its pursuit of claims to parts of the region and in February sent a submarine to the floor of the sea symbolically […]

Whither Europe’s Left?

By James Joyner

The magnitude of the win of Angela Merkel’s coalition, coming on the heels of a center-right romp in the recent European Parliament elections and the ouster of several socialist-leaning governments in recent months, has spawned much hand-wringing about the decline of Europe’s Left.

New post-Soviet Force Begins Military Exercises

By AP

From AP: Thousands of troops from Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations began military exercises in southern Kazakhstan on Friday, the first of its kind for the newly formed NATO-style rapid-reaction force. Moscow is hoping the force will help bolster the power and prestige of the seven-nation Collective Security Treaty Organization, which Russia is hoping […]

Black Sea to Supply Europe’s Energy?

By Alexandros Petersen

The Black Sea region could replace Russia as Europe’s primary source of energy in the coming decades. Speaking on October 1 at the Atlantic Council’s Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum (BSEEF), Mehmet Uysal, the Chairman of Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) argued that while the greater Black Sea region is emerging as an important hub for […]

Pentagon sees U.S. defense in 2010 for Iran rockets

By Reuters

From Reuters: Ground-based interceptor missiles to be deployed in the western United States in 2010 will be able to shoot down long-range Iranian rockets, Pentagon officials said on Thursday, brushing aside criticism of the Obama administration’s European defense overhaul. Israel will also get added protection under the administration’s missile shield, the officials told Congress. U.S. […]

McChrystal: Biden Afghanistan Plan ‘Short-Sighted’

By James Joyner

Stanley McChrystal, the general in charge of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, says the Obama administration needs to make up its mind on quickly on a strategy — and rejected the idea of lowering the bar.