Security & Defense

NATO Boosts Cyber Defenses but Members Differ on Its Role

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

From Adrian Croft, Reuters:  NATO ministers agreed on Tuesday to strengthen the organization’s cyber defenses but differed about how much NATO should do to protect smaller allies from potentially devastating hacking attacks.

NATO’s Cyber Defenses to be Fully Operational by Autumn

By NATO

NATO in a New Security Landscape

By Jason Harmala

On June 5, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) held a conference on NATO in a New Security Landscape.

Lebanon inches toward disaster

By Rajan Menon

It has been Lebanon’s unenviable fate to be the playground for the deadly games of its more powerful and rivalrous neighbors. What has made Lebanon particularly vulnerable to the fears and ambitions of adjacent states—or in the case of Iran, those aligned with them—is the effect outsiders’ machinations have had on the delicate balance among […]

NATO Chief Highlights Freedom of Expression in Turkey Protests

By Fatma Demirelli, Today's Zaman

From Fatma Demirelli, Today’s Zaman:  NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Turkish authorities and anti-government protesters to ensure peaceful protests, saying freedom to express one’s political views is a democratic value embraced by the alliance. Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who has clashed with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over freedom […]

NATO Decides to Send Team to Help Build Libya’s Security Institutions

By NATO

From NATO:  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ahead of the start Tuesday’s (4 June 2013) NATO Defence Ministerial that Allied nations have decided to send an expert-level delegation to Libya to identify areas where NATO can provide assistance.

What’s Russia Doing in Syria and Why

By Rajan Menon

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has killed some 80,000 of his citizens and driven another 1.7 million into neighboring countries. Unsurprisingly, he has few foreign friends these days. But two have played a pivotal part in his survival: Iran and Russia.

Latvia Approves Proposal to Host New NATO Center of Excellence

By Sargs.LV

From Sargs.LV:  On May 13 Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia approved a report on the creation of the NATO Center of Excellence for Strategic Communication in Latvia.

Defense Ministers to Discuss NATO’s Cyber Defenses

By Jerome Rivet, AFP

From Jerome Rivet, AFP:  Defense ministers from NATO’s 28 member states meet on Tuesday with cyber-defence top of the agenda, amid concerns about the threat posed by increasing cyber-attacks, many blamed on China. “The challenge evolves all the time, probably (much faster) than any other type of threat we face at the moment,” said one […]

Hagel and NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss Training Libyan Security Forces

By David Alexander, Reuters

From David Alexander, Reuters:  NATO defense ministers concerned about the growing presence of al Qaeda-linked rebels in southern Libya will this week discuss the possibility of training Libyan security forces, U.S. defense officials said on Monday.