Europe & Eurasia

Cameron backs Turkey joining the EU

By Alex Barker and Delphine Strauss, the Financial Times

From Alex Barker and Delphine Strauss, the Financial Times:  David Cameron will express his “anger” on Tuesday at Turkey’s European Union membership bid being “frustrated” by the bloc’s leaders, as he heaps praise on an emerging power increasingly at odds with Britain, the US and Europe on the world stage.

NATO nations: Hope document leak won’t affect war

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  NATO’s European members said Monday they hope the unprecedented leak of 91,000 classified U.S. military records on Afghanistan will not negatively affect the current war effort. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there has been significant progress recently in building up the Afghan state "so I hope any such leaks […]

NATO’s Future Involves More Global Partnerships

By Ian Brzezinski

Ian Brzezinski, resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s International Security program, was recently interviewed about NATO’s current and future roles in global affairs.

Europe seeks to end divisions on Kosovo

By AFP

From AFP:  The European Union hopes to finally speak with one voice on Kosovo after a UN court backed Pristina’s independence claim, piling pressure on the five EU states that still refuse to recognise it. Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Romania are the only countries in the 27-nation bloc to have refused to recognise Kosovo’s […]

Brzezinski: NATO facing ‘budget cuts that leave the alliance militarily emasculated’

By Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News

From Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News:  Excerpts from interview with NATO expert Ian Brzezinski. The unpopular war in Afghanistan may be NATO’s greatest challenge since the end of the Cold War, leading some to question its continued relevance. Does NATO have a future? In five or 10 years, if we’re lucky and things are handled wisely, […]

The F-35 fighter and Canada’s international commitments

By Andre Gerolymatos, the Vancouver Sun

From Andre Gerolymatos, the Vancouver Sun:  Fundamentally, the Canadian Air Force has not only commitments to NATO but also to Norad (North American Aerospace Defence Command). Beyond the obvious advantages in advanced technology that the sub-contracting of the construction of the F-35 will yield for Canadian companies, Canada’s warplanes must be able to keep up […]

France says too soon to talk of Afghan pullout

By Reuters

U.N. Court Rules Kosovo Declaration Was Legal

By Dan Bilefsky, the New York Times

From Dan Bilefsky, the New York Times:  Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, the United Nations’ highest court said Thursday in a ruling that Kosovo heralded as a victory but that legal experts warned could spur separatist movements around the world.

Fox: ‘what do Challenger tanks in Germany… contribute to what’s happening in Afghanistan?’

By the Telegraph

From the Telegraph:  In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, [British Defence Secretary Liam] Fox said the dire state of the public finances meant the Armed Forces could no longer be equipped to cover every conceivable danger.

Britain’s MoD looks at cutting 30,000 troops

By Alex Barker and James Blitz, the Financial Times

From Alex Barker and James Blitz, the Financial Times:  Military planners are examining cutting Britain’s land forces from eight to five brigades, in a radical restructuring option that would hand the army operational command of the Royal Marines. The proposed overhaul, which would slash army numbers by up to 30,000, is an extreme scenario that […]