Europe & Eurasia

Obama’s Europe Pivot

By John Vinocur, the International Herald Tribune

America and Europe’s Pacific Partnership

By Patryk Pawlak and Eleni Ekmektsioglou, the Diplomat

From Patryk Pawlak and Eleni Ekmektsioglou, the Diplomat:  The joint statement touches upon several important issues for the region’s stability: North Korea’s denuclearization, democratization in Burma, territorial claims in the South China Sea, and human rights.

U.S.-EU Statement on the Asia-Pacific Region

By the Department of State

From the Department of State:  Secretary Clinton and High Representative Ashton noted that interdependence between Asia, the United States and the European Union has reached unprecedented levels.

Teddy bear feud escalates: Belarus expels all Swedish diplomats

By Camille Bas-Wohlert, AFP

From Camille Bas-Wohlert, AFP:  Sweden’s ties with Belarus soured further Wednesday as Minsk expelled all Swedish diplomats and closed its mission in Stockholm, five days after the ex-Soviet state expelled the Swedish ambassador.

Italy’s Prime Minister warns of ‘a front line between North and South’ in Europe

By Mario Monti, Spiegel

From Mario Monti, Spiegel:  I can only welcome the ECB’s statement that the market for sovereign bonds in the euro zone is undergoing a period of "severe malfunctioning."

European defense cooperation dependent on success of Franco-British security relationship

By Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist:  [T]he London-Paris axis is Europe’s only true strategic defense relationship and thus critical to the future defense of Europe.

Euro-Realism 3: Defending Europe

By Julian Lindley-French

In one of those deliciously Anglo-French moments this week President Hollande took a swipe at the London Olympics and David Cameron. Stung by Bradley Wiggin’s Tour de France Champs Elysee victory Hollande said, “The British have rolled out a red carpet for French athletes to win medals. I thank them very much for that”. It […]

How far will US and European defense spending fall?

By Douglas Barrie, AOL Defense

From Douglas Barrie, AOL Defense:  While the January 2012 strategic guidance – "Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership" – cast "most European countries" as "producers of security rather than consumers of it," this was rather at odds with the concerns of former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

In Putin’s Circle, Obama Is Gorbachev

By Frederick Kempe

In private conversations with visiting U.S. business leaders, Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin have recently referred to President Barack Obama as “your Gorbachev.” And they haven’t meant it positively.

Membership of committee preparing new French defense strategy disclosed