United Kingdom

Why We Need a Smart NATO

By Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, the New Atlanticist:  The simple fact of strategic life is this. We live in a world of some seven billion plus souls all with legitimate needs and aspirations organized unevenly into more unstable and failing states than at any time since 1648

NATO Members Spar over Post-Withdrawal Financing for Afghanistan

By Spiegel

From Spiegel:  After the almost total withdrawal of ISAF troops at the end of 2014, according to the strategy, NATO members don’t want to leave the country entirely to its own fate.

American Decline and the Future of Interventionism

By Nicholas k.Gvosdev, World Politics Review

From Nicholas k.Gvosdev, World Politics Review:  For the past 20 years, the United States has shown a willingness to use its armed might, but only in cases where the overwhelming American economic, military and technological advantages could be leveraged to reduce substantially the risk of loss to both people and equipment.

Pentagon expanding international partnerships to address “global cyber arms race”

By Cheryl Pellerin, Armed Forces Press Service

Clinton: ‘a strong America is welcoming new powers into an international system’

By Hillary Clinton, the Department of State

From Hillary Clinton, the Department of State:  [W]e’re not turning away from our old friends and interests in other parts of the world. Our relationships with European and NATO allies who are, after all, our partners of first resort, remain indispensable

Disarmament by Timetable

By Andrew Wilson

Britain’s nuclear weapons—and its international relationships—are under challenge.

Obama and NATO should act before the Syria crisis spreads further

By Simon Tisdall, the Guardian

Joint Strike Fighter II: The Best is the Enemy of the Good?

By Julian Lindley-French

Today is the thirtieth anniversary of the 1982 Argentine invasion of the Falklands about which I will say more later in the week. Last week I wrote a piece about the spiraling out of control costs of the ‘Fifth Generation’ F-35 Lightning II all-singing, all-dancing multirole combat aircraft.