United States and Canada

Brazil opposed to NATO role in South Atlantic

By UPI

Which NATO members can not provide 30 trainers?

By William Caldwell, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

Obama was warned entire military high command might leave over Afghanistan decision

By Bob Woodward, the Washington Post

From Bob Woodward, the Washington Post:  Army Col. John Tien, an Iraq combat veteran and former Rhodes Scholar serving on the NSC, was junior in rank, so he spoke first.

British general plays down July 2011 Afghan drawdown

By Mohammed Abbas, Reuters

From Mohammed Abbas, Reuters:  A top NATO commander in Afghanistan said Monday there should be no rush to withdraw alliance forces in 2011 because once they are gone, it would be much harder to send them back if necessary. British Lieutenant-General Nick Parker, second-in-command of the International Security Assistance Force behind U.S. General David Petraeus, […]

9/11 Imbroglio

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

No sooner did Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggest from the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly that most of the world believes the U.S. government was involved in a 9/11 conspiracy, than 32 nations followed the U.S. delegation as it walked out. These were members of NATO, the European Union (21 countries are members of […]

U.S. again asking NATO for trainers for Afghanistan

By Julian Barnes, the Wall Street Journal

From Julian Barnes, the Wall Street Journal:The top U.S. general in charge of training in Afghanistan will ask allied leaders Monday for about 1,000 more specialized trainers, with the aim of speeding up the buildup of the country’s security forces ahead of a transfer of control to the Afghan government.

EU risks US-China domination with military cuts: France

By Laurent Thomet, AFP

From Laurent Thomet, AFP:  Europe decided Friday to explore how to strengthen military cooperation as France warned that drastic defence budget cuts would leave the continent under Sino-American domination. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said he had told his European Union counterparts at a meeting in Ghent, Belgium, that plans to step up European military […]

Does the Obama Administration view our European allies “with general disdain?”

By  S.W., the Economist

From S.W., the Economist:  My colleague in this space last week delightfully dismembered Dinesh D’Souza’s nutty Forbes piece “analyzing” Mr Obama’s worldview and thought processes, but the fact remains that this administration does seem to view our old European allies with general disdain.

Obama urges Kyrgyz President to let in OSCE Police Advisory Group

Whitehouse statement at favstocks.com:  President Obama met with Kyrgyzstani President Roza Otunbayeva in New York today to discuss ways to deepen our relations based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

UK to protect 3 shared priorities with US from defense cuts

By AFP

From AFP:  London has sought to reassure anxious US officials that plans for major defense cuts will not undermine its status as Washington’s most important military ally, officials said Friday. Amid US concerns over London’s plans to slash 10 to 20 percent in military spending, Defence Secretary Liam Fox told his US counterpart, Robert Gates, […]