International Organizations

French Seek Permanent EU Defense Fund

By Hugh Carnegy, Financial Times

In an effort to put its allies on the spot, President François Hollande is poised to demand, at a Brussels summit on Thursday, that the EU sets up a permanent fund to finance operations such as France’s intervention in the Central African Republic.

US and NATO Allies Voice Concern over Russian Deployment of Iskander Missiles

By Steve Gutterman, Reuters

From Steve Gutterman, Reuters:  The reports caused alarm in Poland and the Baltic states, which are wary of Russian military movements after decades of dominance by the Soviet Union.

For Sixth Year, EU Defense Spending Continues to Decrease

By European Defense Agency

In 2012, total defence expenditure of the 26 EDA pMS (1) amounted to € 189.6 billion – a reduction of € 1.1 billion or 0.6% compared to 2011.

Dempsey Backs Strong US Military Presence in Europe

By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes

The U.S. military’s senior leader said Wednesday that he’s a strong supporter of maintaining a sizeable presence overseas, including in Europe, despite budget constraints, because of the proximity to potential hotspots.

EU-NATO: Playing at Defense

By Julian Lindley-French

 The European Union (EU) and NATO are in deep crisis. The EU is in trouble for at least three major reasons. First, EU is organized around Germany, which for understandable historical reasons trades down military power as it trades up economic and political influence. Second, Britain, one of the EU’s two serious military powers, is now […]

The Eastern Partnership Summit: What’s Next?

To discuss the challenges that remain for European leaders in continuing to develop the relationship with the eastern partners after Vilnius, and to articulate a vision for transatlantic cooperation on the Eastern Partnership going forward, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Relations Program hosted a members’ conference call with H.E. Linas Linkevičius, minister of foreign affairs of […]

Europeans Less Able, Americans Less Willing?

By Daniel Keohane, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Europeans are becoming less capable militarily, having moved from a military reform to austerity paradigm since 2008.

UN to Inspect Libya’s Uranium Stocks Amid Worsening Security

By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

A U.N. nuclear team will visit Libya this month to assess the safety of thousands of barrels of milled uranium – known as yellowcake – amid concerns about the country’s deteriorating security situation, a U.N. official said on Monday.

Europe Needs a Strong and United Military

By Julian Lindley-French

Last month I had the honor of chairing a superb conference in Amsterdam on behalf of the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army Lieutenant-General Mart de Kruif. Two key messages came out of this conference. First, if we Europeans want to keep Americans engaged in NATO and, by extension, engaged in Europe’s security European armed […]

Ukraine, the EU, and Russia: Win, Don’t Whine

By Matthew Bryza

It is understandable that European leaders are angry with Russia for spoiling the EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius by pressuring Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to “suspend” signing of Ukraine’s EU Association Agreement.  Moscow’s hardball tactics created a diplomatic debacle for the EU, as President Putin (yet again) violated his self-serving maxim of noninterference in […]