Europe & Eurasia

Moscow Signals Widening Rift With Ukraine

By the New York Times

From the New York Times: The Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, assailed his Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday, blaming him for anti-Russian policies that he said have brought relations between the two countries to “unprecedented lows.” In a letter to President Viktor A. Yushchenko of Ukraine, Mr. Medvedev announced that Russia would not dispatch its new […]

Nabucco No Guarantee of EU Energy Security

By Alexandros Petersen

Last month’s euphoria over the European Union’s agreement with Turkey on the Nabucco gas pipeline was perhaps a little premature—Brussels still has a long way to go to reduce its energy dependence from Russia.

Weak Russia, Dangerous Russia

By Donald Bandler and Jakub Kulhanek

The reaction from the American defense establishment to news that Russian submarines have been operating off the U.S. coast has been fairly nonchalant, bordering on smug. The submarine operation is widely seen as a rather feeble show of strength by the Russian military after a series of embarrassments over botched missile tests and undistinguished conduct […]

Britain’s Afghan role could last “30 to 40 years” – general

By Reuters

From Reuters: Britain could play some role in Afghanistan until 2050, the next head of the British army said in an interview published on Saturday. General Sir David Richards, who becomes chief of the general staff later this month, said Britain’s military involvement should only be needed for the medium term before giving way to […]

Russian Subs Seen Off U.S. East Coast

By the Wall Street Journal

From the Wall Street Journal: Two Russian attack submarines were detected patrolling the waters off the East Coast of the U.S. in recent days, including one that came as close as 200 miles offshore, according to U.S. military officials . . . The senior military official said the two Russian vessels were nuclear-powered Akula class […]

Biden Was Right: Russia No Longer a Great Power

By David Smith

As U.S. Vice President Joe Biden returned to Washington from his foray to Ukraine and Georgia, the first copies of a Wall Street Journal article that would plunge him into political controversy rolled off the presses.

Madeleine Albright named head of NATO’s Wise Men

NATO’s new Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, appointed twelve experts to oversee the development of the new Strategic Concept for the alliance. The special NATO committee (popularly referred to as the group of Wise Men), will be lead by a historic female diplomat, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Her Vice Chair will be […]

Faulty Reset on START

By David Smith

When U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a Joint Understanding on July 6 on a treaty to follow the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), this first press of Obama’s reset button launched U.S. negotiators into a time warp to circa 1969 Cold War-style negotiations against an artificial deadline. The result […]

Guantanamo Detainees: The View from Europe

By Andrew Kessinger

Thanks to renewed transatlantic cooperation, President Barack Obama is one small step closer to keeping his campaign promise to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention center.

Russia warns of force if more Georgia “provocations”

By Agence France Presse

From Agence France Presse: Russia on Saturday warned Georgia its military reserves the right to use force if the ex-Soviet state continues ‘provocations’ in the Caucasus, one week ahead of the first anniversary of their 2008 war. The Russian defence ministry accused Georgia of firing several times with mortars and grenades over the last four […]