Europe & Eurasia

Tories to pull British forces out of Germany

By the Telegraph

From the Telegraph: The Shadow Defence Secretary told The Daily Telegraph that ending Britain’s 25,000 strong military presence on the Rhine would be part of a fundamental reorganisation of Nato forces designed to free troops for military operations outside Europe… As part of a strategic defence review if the Tories win power, Dr. [Liam] Fox […]

Role of the EU in Nagorno-Karabakh

By Borut Grgic

Atlantic Council nonresident senior fellow Borut Grgic was interviewed by Aliyah Fridman of Azerbaijan’s News.Az on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

America is listening to Russia’s call for new security arrangements in Europe

By the Economist

From the Economist: In theory, Russian diplomats accredited to NATO are welcome friends: the reality is murkier. For more than a decade now, Russian officials have been trusted to roam the alliance’s maze-like headquarters in Brussels just like envoys from other “partner countries” such as Sweden, Finland or Malta. In practice, says a diplomat, everyone […]

Could China fill a power vacuum in eastern Europe?

By the Economist

From the Economist: As the countries of eastern Europe bump nervously between a near-neutralist Germany, a revisionist Russia and an absent-minded America, the search is on for a powerful outsider, with strong interests in the region, willing to put all kinds of clout behind the smaller countries’ sovereignty and independence… Maybe China. It has plenty […]

Who is NATO’s Miracle Worker?

When Barack Obama became President, the debate in European capitals was over how quickly they could decrease the number of troops contributed to NATO’s war in Afghanistan. Yet in the past week, something remarkable has happened in NATO, some of our European allies are actually sending more troops to Afghanistan, not just for temporary duty […]

Belgian Van Rompuy, UK’s Ashton win top EU jobs

By Reuters

From Reuters: European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who is little known outside his own country, as the bloc’s first president on Thursday to lead efforts to make it more influential on the world stage. They also chose Baroness Catherine Ashton, a Briton little known even in her own country, as […]

Fighting Pirates with Guns

By Derek Reveron

Piracy remains in the headlines. This week, the United Nations held a special meeting to consider the subject, the captain of a chemical tanker was killed when his ship was hijacked, a Spanish fishing vessel was released after a ransom was paid, and the Maersk Alabama evaded capture by fighting the pirates with guns.

Rompuy and Ashton: Compromise Candidates Win

By James Joyner

After months of speculation as to who would be Europe’s first president, the EU’s top leaders emerged from their smoke-filled room and announced that Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was their man.  And that trade commissioner Catherine Ashton was their woman, tabbed to head up the Commission’s foreign policy.

Post-Crisis Defence Spending in the EU is Lower and Less Effective Than in the US

By the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

From the NATO Parliamentary Assembly: Defence budgets worldwide have taken a knock as a consequence of the global financial crisis. But as the world’s economies start to show signs of recovery, a “big disparity” is emerging between the EU and North America. This may place a strain on the North Atlantic Alliance, according to Senior […]

Training of Afghan Police by Europe Is Found Lacking

By the New York Times

From the New York Times: Two and a half years after it was started, the European Union’s police training mission in Afghanistan is understaffed, lacks adequate security and transportation, and has yet to develop a uniform training program, according to diplomats and security experts involved in the mission. “The E.U. mission is a logistical nightmare,” […]