Europe & Eurasia

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ‘unable to land on aircraft carriers’

By Andrew Hough and Thomas Harding, the Telegraph

From Andrew Hough and Thomas Harding, the Telegraph:  The Royal Navy’s multi-billion pound fighter plane programme is under threat amid claims that its new all-purpose jets cannot land on aircraft carriers, it has emerged.

NATO Allies Deny Plans for Syrian No-Fly Zone to Aid Rebels

By Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov, Bloomberg

From Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov, Bloomberg:  NATO and three alliance members said there are no plans for military intervention in Syria after Russia said it has information about preparations for a no-fly zone over the country.

Poland: NATO can’t keep subsidising Afghan army

By Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters

From Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters:  Afghanistan cannot expect current levels of Western financial aid for its armed forces to be sustained beyond 2014, when NATO forces plan to pull out, Poland’s defence minister said on Thursday.

US ranked 13th in security of nuclear material

By William J. Broad, the New York Times

From William J. Broad, the New York Times:  The 32 nations with materials that can fuel atom bombs are typically mum on security, which looks to the public like a closed world of barbed wire and armed guards. Behind the scenes, atomic insiders have long told horror stories of risky practices and security flaws

Russia Says NATO, Persian Gulf Nations Plan to Seek No-Fly Zone for Syria

By Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov, Bloomberg

Republicans Bash Europe in Search of Votes

By Sebastian Fischer, Spiegel

From Sebastian Fischer, Spiegel:  Europe is socialist, bloated and a threat to the global economy. That appears to be the message from the ongoing presidential campaign in the US. Republicans in particular have discovered Europe as a convenient punching bag

Strategy Session with Norwegian Minister of Defence, Espen Barth Eide

By Jason Harmala

On January 12, 2012, the Atlantic Council welcomed Norwegian Minister of Defence, H.E. Espen Barth Eide for a strategy session to discuss the implications of the financial crisis in Europe on transatlantic security.

A new kind of NATO

By Sean Kay, Foreign Policy

From Sean Kay, Foreign Policy:  NATO needs a radical new kind of American leadership if Europe is to be incentivized to assume new responsibilities in effective ways.