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AfricaSource

Feb 3, 2015

Niger’s uprising: symptoms of Nigerien challenges

By Abdoul Salam Bello

Violent riots broke out in Niger last month following the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Ten people were killed and forty-five churches torched by protesters on January 16 and 17. Niger declared three days of mourning. The depiction shocked the majority of Nigeriens, more […]

North & West Africa
Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Feb 3, 2015

Ullman: Arming Ukraine — Deterring or Provoking Disaster?

By Harlan Ullman

Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Adviser Harlan Ullman writes for the Huffington Post on what arming Ukraine means for both NATO and Russia:

NATO
Russia
Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, Jan. 30, 2015

NATOSource

Feb 2, 2015

NATO Chief: European Defense Spending Continued to Decline in 2014

By Jens Stoltenberg, NATO

[A]s you can see from our Annual Report, there has been a steady decline in European defense spending since 1990. And the decline continued last year.

NATO
Russia
Ukrainian government checkpoint in Donbass, August 21, 2014

NATOSource

Feb 2, 2015

Top NATO Commander Supports Providing Weapons to Defend Ukraine

By Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt, New York Times

With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO’s military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev’s beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday.

NATO
Russia

Report

Feb 2, 2015

Preserving Ukraine’s Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do

By Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The Kremlin is waging a hybrid war in Ukraine’s east. Initially covert, Moscow’s intervention became increasingly open when it sent in regular army units in August. Since the Minsk ceasefire, signed in September, Kremlin-supported separatists seized 500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. The ceasefire was an illusion. Despite the agreement, Russia continued to send hundreds […]

Europe & Eurasia
NATO
US soldiers testing a M98 Javelin Weapon System, Sept. 23, 2014

NATOSource

Jan 30, 2015

US Should Provide Lethal Assistance to Ukraine

By Steven Pifer and Strobe Talbott, Washington Post

Washington needs to do more to get Russia to change course. That means giving the Ukrainian military sufficient means to make further aggression so costly that Putin and the Russian army are deterred from escalating the fight.

NATO
Russia
French tank, July 14, 2012

NATOSource

Jan 30, 2015

France Sending Tanks To Poland

By Lorne Cook, AP

France is pledging tanks and armored vehicles to bolster NATO forces in Poland, where leaders are increasingly uneasy about Russia.

France
NATO

In the News

Jan 30, 2015

Kroenig: Facing Reality: Getting NATO Ready for a New Cold War

By Matthew Kroenig

Brent Scowcroft Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Matthew Kroenig writes for Survival on Russian aggression and what it means for the stability of the post-Cold War order in Europe:

NATO
Security & Defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, June 12, 2014

NATOSource

Jan 29, 2015

Pentagon Official Urges NATO to Focus on Innovative Weapons

By Reuters and DoD News

From Andrea Shalal, Reuters: U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work on Wednesday urged NATO allies to develop and make more innovative weapons, and said bold action was needed to stay ahead of rapid weapons development by China, Russia and other countries.

NATO
Security & Defense

Event Recap

Jan 29, 2015

Moving from Bad to Worse? Looking Back to 2014 and Implications for 2015

By Cyber Statecraft Initiative

On January 21 the Cyber Statecraft Initiative kicked off the 2015 Cyber Risk Wednesday event series with the new exclusive media partner for the series, Passcode, the new outlet of Christian Science Monitor. Shane Harris, senior intelligence and national security correspondent for The Daily Beast, and Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder & chief technology officer of CrowdStrike, […]

Cybersecurity
Security & Defense

Experts

Events