Europe & Eurasia

Dutch Defense Minister: EU Countries Should Share Capability Plans

By Julian Hale, Defense News

Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert has strongly urged greater EU cooperation in capability development to address the bloc’s military shortfalls in the run-up to a December summit of EU leaders.

Eastern Partnerships Pose Deep Challenges for European Union

By Sarah Bedenbaugh

On November 5, Miroslav Lajčák, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, was the featured speaker at the Atlantic Council’s event, EU’s Eastern Partnership: The Vilnius Summit and Beyond.  Minister Lajčák’s visit to Washington comes only three short weeks before the European Union (EU) and the six former […]

EU’s Eastern Partnership: The Vilnius Summit and Beyond

On November 5, Miroslav Lajčák, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, was the featured speaker at a public event hosted by the Atlantic Council. Minister Lajčák’s visit to Washington comes only three short weeks before the European Union (EU) and the six former Soviet countries designated as […]

US and European Allies Building Libyan Army Bilaterally, Instead of Through NATO

By Frederic Wehrey , Foreign Affairs

Last month, discussing the Obama administration’s plans for a more modest Middle East policy, National Security Adviser Susan Rice noted that Washington “can’t just be consumed 24/7 by one region, important as it is.”

Kerry Praises Poland’s Role in NATO

By John Kerry, Department of State

[A]s a NATO member now for almost 15 years and as an EU member for nearly 10 years, Poland’s influence in both organizations has grown significantly over that time.

NATO Opens Major War Game; Russia Irked

By AP and NATO

From John-Thor Dahlburg, AP:  NATO this week is holding its biggest war game in years, and the Russians aren’t happy it’s happening so near their borders.

NATO Condemns Violence During Elections in Kosovo

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

I strongly condemn the attacks on polling stations in north Mitrovica.

The Role of the US Air Force in the French Mission in Mali

By Gabe Starosta, Air Force Magazine

France’s intervention in Mali earlier this year—helping its former colony defend against Islamic extremists—didn’t get the media attention lavished on the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi or the crisis in Syria. But the Mali mission has so far proved successful

The Widening Gap Between France and Germany Over Defense

By Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe

Steadfast Jazz takes place against the background of a widening gap between France and Germany over defense and security matters.

Eurozone at the Crossroads

By Jordan Smith

For decades, European Union nations have walked a constitutional tightrope, refusing to make the ultimate choice between their core sovereignty and the merging of powers necessary to construct a viable European polity. The recent financial hurricane unleashed by the dangerous combination of poor regulation, too much debt, and weak leadership has brought Europe’s constitutional balancing […]