United States and Canada

NATO’s Training Mission Is still some 20 per cent Under Strength

By DPA

From DPA: NATO’s training mission is still some 20 per cent under strength. "We welcomed the significant improvement in the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces, and are committed to providing the trainers needed to support that steady progress," [NATO defense] ministers said in a joint declaration.

U.S. Military Test Launches New Missile Interceptor

By space.com

From space.com:  The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on June 6 successfully conducted the first flight test of a smaller version of its ground-based interceptor being developed as a backup option for a European missile shield, the agency said June 6. The two-stage interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and delivered an operational […]

Italian Minister Backs Gates on Turkey Moving “Eastwards”

By AFP

From AFP:   Italy’s foreign minister indicated Thursday he agreed with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that the European Union’s refusal to embrace Turkey had pushed Ankara "eastwards.

Europe Remains America’s Most Powerful Ally

By Joseph S. Nye, Gulf News

From Joseph S. Nye, Gulf News:  The American political scientist Andrew Moravcsik makes the argument that European nations, singly and collectively, are the only states other than the US that are able to "exert global influence across the full spectrum from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ power.

Getting Russia Right

By Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times

From Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times:  At a NATO summit in Strasbourg in April 2009, a group of experts headed by Madeleine Albright was directed to prepare the ground for a new “strategic concept.

NATO Allies Poised to Slash Military Budgets

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  European allies are bracing for their deepest cuts in military spending since the end of the Cold War, fueling concerns in Washington that an already wide gap in military power between the United States and the rest of NATO will grow.

Gates: If Turkey is Moving Eastward, It was “Pushed by Some in Europe”

By Reuters

From Reuters:  The United States is concerned at a breakdown in Turkey’s relations with Israel and fears Europe’s rebuff of Ankara’s EU aspirations is pushing the pivotal country "eastward," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

A New Middle East Triangle?

By Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera

Russia, Turkey and Iran Meet, Posing Test for U.S. Diplomacy

By the New York Times