United States and Canada

Obama: “The Burdens of this Century Cannot Fall on American Shoulders Alone.”

By the AP

From the AP: President Barack Obama on Saturday told graduating cadets eventually headed for war that their country needs allies standing with the U.S. in Afghanistan at a time when some nations are questioning their commitment to that fight and the costs of war. … "The burdens of this century cannot fall on American shoulders […]

British Troops in Afghanistan to Get U.S. Commander

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Almost all British troops fighting in Afghanistan will answer directly to a U.S. commander as part of a restructuring of the NATO-led mission, NATO and the British army said on Friday. Helmand province, where military operations to oust Taliban militants have long been under British control, will fall under the command of U.S. […]

Turkey’s Zero-Problems Foreign Policy

By Ahmet Davutoğlu, Foreign Policy

From Ahmet Davutoğlu, Foreign Policy:  During the Cold War, Turkey was a "wing country" under NATO’s strategic framework, resting on the geographic perimeter of the Western alliance. NATO’s strategic concept, however, has evolved in the post-Cold War era — and so has Turkey’s calculation of its strategic environment. Turkey’s presence in Afghanistan is a clear […]

NATO Agrees to Split of Regional Command South, Afghanistan

By NATO

From NATO: On 21 May 2010, the North Atlantic Council, in consultation with non-NATO ISAF Troop Contributing Nations, gave final authorisation for the reorganisation of ISAF’s Regional Command South and the establishment of an additional Regional Command South-West – RC(SW) – in Afghanistan.

U.S. Abandoning Russia’s Neighbors

By David J. Kramer, the Washington Post

From David J. Kramer, the Washington Post: Some 14 months ago on this page, I warned against a "grand bargain" between the United States and Russia as part of the Obama administration’s reset efforts with Moscow. One concern then was that the administration would pursue a "Russia first" policy at the expense of Russia’s neighbors.

In First Move, Cameron Cultivates UK Role in Europe’s “Triangle of Power”

By the New York Times

14 US Troops Receive Medals for Rescuing German Soldiers

By the AP

From the AP:  Fourteen U.S. service members have received Germany’s Gold Cross Medal for their bravery in extracting wounded German soldiers from a firefight in northeast Afghanistan – the first time the award has been given to troops from another nation.

The Case for the New START Treaty

By Robert Gates, the Wall Street Journal

From Robert Gates, the Wall Street Journal: The key question then and in the decades since has always been the same: Is the United States better off with an agreement or without it? The answer for each successive president has always been "with an agreement." The U.S. Senate has always agreed, approving each treaty by […]

New Compromise May Prevent Total Dutch Withdrawal from Afghanistan

By DutchNews.nl

From DutchNews.nl: The Labour party is prepared to talk about sending Dutch police officers to Afghanistan to help train local forces, as long as it is clear this is not a military mission, Labour leader Job Cohen told KRO tv. The trainers can operate in areas where security is already tight but if necessary, Dutch […]

Romania and US Finish Round of Preliminary “Technical Talks” on Missile Defense

By Xinhua

From Xinhua: A round of Romanian-US technical talks has taken place in Bucharest on Romania’s inclusion in the US missile defense system in Europe, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release Wednesday. The agenda of the talks on Tuesday included an exchange of views on technical and judicial aspects of the missile defense […]