United States and Canada

U.S. aims for Afghan talks breakthrough at NATO summit in May

By Missy Ryan and Warren Strobel, Reuters

From Missy Ryan and Warren Strobel, Reuters:  The United States is seeking to accelerate fragile talks with the Taliban so it can announce serious peace negotiations at a NATO summit in May, officials say, in what would be a welcome bright spot in Western efforts to end the war in Afghanistan. The Obama administration is […]

Can Germany Summon the Will to Lead?

By John Vincour, the International Herald Tribune

From John Vincour, the International Herald Tribune:  Mr. Putin’s goal is not only to paint an American-led enemy in time for next month’s vote, but to get the West to back off on Iran and on deployment of NATO’s missile shield in Europe through threats and by sowing the notion that America is shoving its […]

U.S. Sees Europe as Not Pulling Its Weight Militarily

By Judy Dempsey, the International Herald Tribune

From Judy Dempsey, the International Herald Tribune:  When Thomas de Maizière described the state of the trans-Atlantic relationship to a packed audience in Munich, he shied away from unpalatable truths.

Transatlantic Relationship Words at Odds with Deeds

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said all the right things about the transatlantic relationship at the Munich Security Conference. Alas, Panetta made a mockery of them on his way there.

Britain and France had to insist US allow their warships to join Iran flotilla

By James Kirkup, the Telegraph

From James Kirkup, the Telegraph:  Defence sources have revealed that the Americans only relented and allowed a Royal Navy frigate to join the mission following an intervention from Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.

Dean Rusk on NATO: ‘The surest way to lose the peace is to destroy or weaken the instruments that are preserving the peace’

By Dean Rusk, U.S. Department of State

From Dean Rusk, U.S. Department of State:  The facts of the world situation require that NATO remains strong and alert. They require that free nations not repeat the tragic errors of the past — that they not make one-sided reductions in defense that tempt adversaries to resort once again to force or threats ….. that […]

Is Chinese espionage responsible for the rising costs of the F-35?

By David Fulghum, Bill Sweetman, and Amy Butler, Aviation Week

From David Fulghum, Bill Sweetman, and Amy Butler, Aviation Week:  How much of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s spiraling cost in recent years can be traced to China’s cybertheft of technology and the subsequent need to reduce the fifth-generation aircraft’s vulnerability to detection and electronic attack?

World must aid Syria’s rebels

By Shadi Hammid, CNN

Panetta: ‘Our military footprint in Europe will remain larger than in any other region in the world’

By Leon Panetta, U.S. Department of Defense

From Leon Panetta, U.S. Department of Defense:  For Europe, the U.S. defense strategy reaffirms the lasting strategic importance of the transatlantic partnership with the United States.