Europe & Eurasia

Obama tells Cameron BP criticism is not anti-British

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle:  US President Barack Obama assured British Prime Minister David Cameron in a telephone conversation on Saturday that his criticism of BP’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not about national identity. US President Barack Obama told British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday that his frustration over […]

Polish General Appointed Top NATO Post

By Polskie Radio

From Polskie Radio: Lt General Mieczyslaw Bieniek is to be deputy commander at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, US – the highest position a Pole has attained within the Atlantic alliance. Defence Minister Bogdan Klich, refused to confirm the position simply however, saying a decision will be made "soon." The PAP news agency reports that initially, Gen. […]

UK Feels Backlash from BP Oil Spill: The View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

President Obama’s top energy advisor has already termed the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the worst environmental disaster in American history, and it’s far from over. The inability to stop the gushing flow has created plenty of vitriol and condemnation in the US toward the federal government and rig operator BP.

Turkey’s Finance Minister: “We Are No Longer Puppets”

By the Economist

Italian Minister Backs Gates on Turkey Moving “Eastwards”

By AFP

From AFP:   Italy’s foreign minister indicated Thursday he agreed with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that the European Union’s refusal to embrace Turkey had pushed Ankara "eastwards.

Europe Remains America’s Most Powerful Ally

By Joseph S. Nye, Gulf News

From Joseph S. Nye, Gulf News:  The American political scientist Andrew Moravcsik makes the argument that European nations, singly and collectively, are the only states other than the US that are able to "exert global influence across the full spectrum from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ power.

Getting Russia Right

By Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times

From Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times:  At a NATO summit in Strasbourg in April 2009, a group of experts headed by Madeleine Albright was directed to prepare the ground for a new “strategic concept.

Turkey Proposes NATO Mission to Lift Gaza Blockade

By AFP

From AFP:  A top Turkish official on Wednesday proposed a NATO naval mission to lift the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip. "NATO should send a fleet to put an end to the embargo," Turkey’s chief negotiator with the European Union, Egemen Bagis told reporters during a trip to Brussels. "It’s just an idea," […]

NATO Allies Poised to Slash Military Budgets

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  European allies are bracing for their deepest cuts in military spending since the end of the Cold War, fueling concerns in Washington that an already wide gap in military power between the United States and the rest of NATO will grow.

Gates: If Turkey is Moving Eastward, It was “Pushed by Some in Europe”

By Reuters

From Reuters:  The United States is concerned at a breakdown in Turkey’s relations with Israel and fears Europe’s rebuff of Ankara’s EU aspirations is pushing the pivotal country "eastward," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.