Europe & Eurasia

Govt scuttles talk of France aircraft carrier share

By Dave Clark, AFP

From Dave Clark, AFP:  France and Britain announced Friday they are talking about sharing the cost of military aircraft programmes, but rejected reports that they plan to merge their aircraft carrier fleets. "In terms of actually being able to share an aircraft carrier, I would have thought that that was utterly unrealistic," Defence Minister Liam […]

Europe and Benign Neglect

By Roger Cohen, the New York Times

From Roger Cohen, the New York Times:  “Europe is the object of benign U.S. neglect,” said Camille Grand, a prominent Paris-based defense analyst. “Obama has not established or re-established a strategic relationship with any single European country or with Europe as a whole.”

Russia, EU to establish defense and security coordination group – General Staff

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti: Russia and the European Union are set to establish a joint defense and security working group, the chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said on Friday. "We held a detailed, frank dialogue, and shared opinions on European security and outlined the steps to be taken, including the establishment […]

U.S. Air Force assumes command of NATO Baltic air policing mission

By defpro.com

From defpro.com:  The 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, assumed command of the NATO Baltic air policing mission Sept. 1 from the Polish air force at Lithuania Air Force Air Base. For the next four months, the squadron, comprising approximately 125 people, is responsible for ensuring the air sovereignty of […]

West gives Serbia tough message on Kosovo

By Adam Tanner and Ivana Sekularac, Reuters

BNAC: Issues Concerning Effective Corporate Governance

It is two years since the financial services sector of many of the world’s leading economies were plunged into disarray. The uncertainty this generated meant that individual and institutional investors were very reluctant to participate in the financial markets resulting in a dramatic decline in asset values, credit becoming largely unavailable and, as a result, […]

NATO Flagship ESBERN SNARE Disrupts Pirate Attacks

By Allied Maritime Command Headquarters Northwood

From Allied Maritime Command Headquarters Northwood:  NATO flagship HDMS ESBERN SNARE, in cooperation with international counter-piracy forces successfully disrupted multiple piracy attacks on Panamanian flagged MV Caribbean Carrier and Norwegian flagged Hoegh Oslo who were transiting in the Gulf of Aden.

Britain and France may share aircraft carriers

By Tim Castle and John Irish, Reuters

From Tim Castle and John Irish, Reuters:  Britain said on Tuesday it would discuss closer military cooperation with France in talks this week, but played down a report that the two countries would share aircraft carriers to save costs. Britain is building two new carriers at a cost of 5.2 billion pounds ($8.0 billion) but, […]

Will the European Union fall to nationalism?

By Charles Kupchan, the Washington Post

From Charles Kupchan, the Washington Post:  The European Union is dying — not a dramatic or sudden death, but one so slow and steady that we may look across the Atlantic one day soon and realize that the project of European integration that we’ve taken for granted over the past half-century is no more.