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NATOSource

Aug 13, 2009

Sailing to Byzantium

By victorhanson.com

From victorhanson.com: The “Turkish Question” — is it West or East, should it be in the E.U., is it a reliable NATO partner? — is hardly a question anymore. Istanbul is Western, its citizens Western in appearance, a liberality prevalent in commerce and discourse. And yet a 100 miles away in the interior, the traditional […]

European Union International Organizations

NATOSource

Aug 13, 2009

New NATO chief makes first trip to Kosovo

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is meeting with Kosovo officials and evaluating a possible winding down of the 13,800 strong Kosovo Force (KFOR) if the security situation in the region continues to improve. “I would like to stress that this decision only reflects the improvement of the security situation in Kosovo […]

NATOSource

Aug 13, 2009

Turkey and Russia: Old rivals, new partners

By the Economist

From the Economist: An alliance of convenience that arouses some suspicion in the West Through the long Ottoman era, Turks and Russians fought many bloody wars. In modern times Turkey guarded NATO’s southern flank against Soviet mischief. “The Russians are treacherous” is a popular Turkish adage. But one would hardly have guessed it as the […]

Energy & Environment United States and Canada

NATOSource

Aug 13, 2009

Russia’s Armed Forces Undergoing ‘Unparalleled’ Transformation

By Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: “While it is very likely that the structures that emerge will still compare unfavorably with Western militaries, they will nonetheless meet the needs of a modern and potentially resurgent Russia, enhancing its capability to project power within its “near abroad.” What must be stressed is that the current condition of […]

NATOSource

Aug 13, 2009

The fog of war: Unravelling the Ossetia conflict, one year later

By the Economist

From the Economist: From another point of view, the EU and NATO reaped the harvest of their neglect of Georgia in previous months. The agreed sanctions after the fighting stopped were feeble. Suspending the NATO-Russia council, or the putative Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Russia, was not even turning a cold shoulder […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2009

Outside Intervention in Internal Wars

By Don Snow

The most ignored but arguably the most important factor militating against American success in Afghanistan is the dynamic of outside intervention in internal wars. The experience of foreign countries intervening in other people’s civil conflicts is, to put it mildly, dismal.

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2009

Russia’s Booming Industry

By Boyko Nitzov

For decades now, underinvestment in Russian gas infrastructure has reduced its reliability and operational efficiency. In addition to an increased risk of accidents, the repairs, maintenance, upgrades and replacements resulting from this physical deterioration are a major cost element.

Energy & Environment

NATOSource

Aug 12, 2009

US-Russia stand-off looms as Moscow announces expansion of military bases

By the Guardian

From the Guardian: The prospect of a US-Russian naval stand-off in the Black Sea loomed today after Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would spend nearly half a billion dollars next year beefing up military bases in Georgia’s breakaway republic of Abkhazia. Much of the money is expected to fund construction of a new naval base […]

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2009

Afghanistan Debate Intensifies

By James Joyner

The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan is the latest senior official calling for additional resources for the effort there.  Meanwhile, the debate over whether NATO should continue its mission at all has taken off.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2009

How Secure are Pakistan’s Nukes?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Is Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal theft-proof? Former President Pervez Musharraf and his successor Asif Ali Zardari and their army and intelligence chiefs repeatedly have assured both the Bush and Obama administrations that their 80-odd nuclear weapons are as secure as the U.S. arsenal of some 7,000 city busters. The Pakistanis have separated warheads from delivery systems […]

Pakistan
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