Security & Defense

Alliance Reborn: An Atlantic Compact for the 21st Century

We have an open but fleeting moment to forge a more effective Atlantic partnership. We must seize it now. European and North American allies have allowed their relations to become discordant, yet the times demand vigor and unity. Courageous decisions need to be taken to breathe new life and relevance into the Atlantic partnership, which […]

NATO ‘Concerned’ About Russian Bases in Abkhazia

By James Joyner

Yesterday’s report of a Russian naval nase to be built in Abkhazia is being greeted with displeasure by NATO,  Reuters reports: Representatives of the 26 NATO states discussed the issue on Wednesday and alliance Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will raise it with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov in February, spokesman James Appathurai said.

The End of Piracy: Can NATO Contribute?

By James Easaw

Now that the piracy crisis centered off the Somali Coast/Gulf of Aden, the Horn of Africa and, to a lesser degree, the West African Coast in the Gulf of Guinea has become big news, the international community, most recently the United Nations, has sprung into action.  The end of piracy draws nigh.  In fact, those […]

From Peshawar to Batumi: Time to Realize the East-West Corridor

By David Smith

Hakimullah Mehsud makes an eloquent practical argument for development of the East-West Corridor that runs from the Black Sea to the Caspian, across Georgia and Azerbaijan.  His Taliban guerillas are attacking NATO supply convoys traveling from Pakistan to Afghanistan and they recently struck a major logistics depot in the Pakistani town of Peshawar. 

Bypassing NATO?: Ukraine and Georgia Seek to Strengthen Ties with U.S.

By Peter Cassata

Will the U.S. extend security guarantees to Georgia and Ukraine on a bilateral basis?  With NATO MAPs not on the table for the foreseeable future, pacts with the U.S. are emerging in both countries.  However, Ukraine’s is nonbinding, and as my colleague James Joyner points out, Georgia’s seems largely symbolic.  RFE/RL ran two articles about […]