Europe & Eurasia

NATO MPs to Visit Israel to Examine Weapons R&D

By Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post

From Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post:  A NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee will examine Israeli research and development in the field of security technology, MKs learned Sunday in Luxembourg.

Hollande’s Europe

By Julian Lindley-French

“It is my responsibility as a leader of a founder member of the European Union…to pull Europe out of this torpor that has gripped it, and to reduce people’s disenchantment with it.  If Europe stays in the state it is in now, it could be the end of the project.”  Europe owes French President Francois Hollande a […]

Poland Set for Biggest-Ever Increase in Military Spending

By Jan Cienski, Financial Times

Dambusters

By Julian Lindley-French

All of we Brits of a certain age remember the film.  Richard Todd coolly leading his elite squadron of Lancaster bombers into attack the Mohne, Eder, and Sorpe dams.  British stiff-upper lip and brilliant “bouncing bomb” technology combining against the backdrop of a stirring but peculiarly 1950s soundtrack to deal the Nazis a crippling blow.  Seventy years […]

How Turkey and Israel Could Force US Action in Syria

By Sarah Grebowski and Maksymilian Czuperski

Early this week, the world looked to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a response to the bombings in Reyhanli that killed 47 people and left more than 100 wounded. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey since the 2003 Istanbul bombings, shocking the nation and fueling anxiety over the war in neighboring […]

NATO’s Plan for Afghanistan Post-2014: A ‘Stable Instability’

By Michael Hirsh, Atlantic

From Michael Hirsh, Atlantic:  Senior commanders with the American-led International Security Assistance Force, which consists of 28 NATO countries and 22 other participating nations, say that substantial aid and military support is going to be necessary well after the scheduled withdrawal at the end of 2014.

What Kaliningrad Means for Europe’s Values and Interests

By Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe

From Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe:  The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad plays a special role between Moscow, Warsaw, and Berlin.

Gap Between French Ambitions and Cuts in Deployable Forces

By Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist:  On 29 April the French published their first defense review in over twenty years.

Will Europe Choose to Be a Security Provider?

By Sven Biscop, New Atlanticist

From Sven Biscop, New Atlanticist:  In December 2013 the heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) will discuss defense.

Arctic Council Adds Six Members, Including China

By Steven Lee Myers, New York Times

From Steven Lee Myers, New York Times: The Arctic Council agreed on Wednesday to expand to include six new nations, including China, as observer states, as a changing climate opens the Arctic to increasing economic and political competition.