United States and Canada

54 members of Congress urge Obama to invite Macedonia into NATO

By the Hill

From the Hill: Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) and a bipartisan group of 53 other House members called on President Obama late last week to ensure that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) invites Macedonia to the group during a planned May summit meeting in Chicago.

Clinton to NATO conference: ‘We are now in a battle for the future’

By the Department of State

From the Department of State:  Excerpts from remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the World Affairs Council 2012 NATO Conference

Clinton: ACT makes ‘NATO more resilient and more innovative’

By the Department of State

From the Department of State: Excerpts from remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to NATO Allied Commander Transformation staff members

On this date: Twelve Foreign Ministers sign North Atlantic Treaty in Washington

By the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum

From the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum:  The North Atlantic Treaty–the first peacetime military alliance ever concluded by the United States–was signed by the foreign ministers of the twelve signatory nations on April 4, 1949.

The Logistical Nightmare of Leaving Afghanistan

By Christian Neef, Spiegel

From Christian Neef, Spiegel:  A writer once dubbed Ulyanovsk the Bethlehem of the 20th century, because it was the home of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who was born in the city in 1870 and went down in history under the name Lenin.

Admiral: US is ‘an Arctic nation without an Arctic strategy’

By Reuters

From Reuters:  If, as many scientists predict, currently inaccessible sea lanes across the top of the world become navigable in the coming decades, they could redraw global trading routes — and perhaps geopolitics — forever.

On this date: Truman signed the Marshall Plan

By the New York Times

From the New York Times:  On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which allocated more than $5 billion in aid to 16 European countries. In signing the plan, officially called the Economic Recovery Program, Truman declared, “This measure is America’s answer to the challenge facing the free world.”

Clinton: US may offer ‘intelligence capacity’ to Syrian opposition

By the US Department of State

From the US Department of State:  Excerpts from interview of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton by Wendell Goler, FOX News

Why Europe Still Matters

By Alberto R. Coll, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs:  Over the past decade it has become fashionable to write off Europe and downgrade its importance to American interests.