United States and Canada

Turkey requested NATO missile defenses over Syria chemical weapons fears

By Julian Borger, Guardian

From Julian Borger, Guardian:  A request by Turkey for Nato Patriot missile defences to be deployed on its territory followed intelligence that the Syrian government was contemplating the use of missiles, possibly with chemical warheads, Turkish officials have told the Guardian.

Clinton: U.S. will act if Syria uses chemical weapons

By Anne Gearan, Washinton Post

From Anne Gearan, Washinton Post:  The United States will not tolerate any use of chemical weapons in Syria and will act quickly if that threat appears imminent, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

Western intelligence officials: New signs of activity at chemical weapons sites in Syria

By Michael R. Gordon, Eric Schmitt, and Tim Arango, New York Times

Shaheen: ‘I am concerned that Kremlin’s actions are creating an environment of fear’ inside Russia

By Jeanne Shaheen, Office of Senator Shaheen

From Jeanne Shaheen, Office of Senator Shaheen:  The United States and Russia have a long history of dramatic ups and downs and seeming contradictions.

Clinton: A transatlantic trade deal will generate ‘hundreds of billions of dollars for our economies’

By Hillary Rodham Clinton, Department of State

From Hillary Rodham Clinton, Department of State:  Perhaps the most important question in the years ahead will be whether we invest as much energy into our economic relationship as we have put into our security relationship.

Turkey, Syria and the NATO umbrella: A reading from Brussels

By Marc Pierini, Hurriyet Daily News

From Marc Pierini, Hurriyet Daily News:  [W]hat is the meaning of the Patriot deployment?

NATO Needs Robust European and US Economies

By James L. Jones & Thomas J. Donohue, New Atlanticist

From James L. Jones & Thomas J. Donohue, New Atlanticist:  There’s a growing and welcome awareness among NATO partners that we can’t meet our security needs without stronger, healthier economies.

Germany, Turkey Spar Over Patriots

By David Crawford, Emre Peker, and Stephen Fidler, Wall Street Journal

From David Crawford, Emre Peker, and Stephen Fidler, Wall Street Journal:  Germany is privately pressing Turkey to scale back the scope of its request for Patriot missile-defense batteries to defend the country’s borders with war-torn Syria, according to a person familiar with negotiations.

China’s Arctic Aspirations

By Linda Jakobson and Jingchao Peng, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

From Linda Jakobson and Jingchao Peng, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):  Although several non-Chinese observers have described China’s actions in the Arctic as ‘more assertive’, China’s Arctic policies are still in a nascent stage of formulation.

NATO, searching for Patriot missile sites, visits military facilities in southeast Turkey

By AP

From AP:  A NATO team assessing possible sites for Patriot missiles to protect Turkey’s border with Syria inspected military installations Wednesday in southeast Turkey, the state-run news agency reported.