United States and Canada

Russia’s Lavrov rules out global war over Arctic resources

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday dismissed as "provocation" suggestions that world powers could fight a war over valuable Arctic natural resources. Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway are seeking to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to contain over 25% of the world’s oil […]

Russia wants “its own security sector” in European Missile Defense

By RIA Novosti

Gates May Cut At Least One Army Brigade from Europe

By Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

From Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room:  In his Thursday press conference, [Defense Secretary Robert] Gates called out U.S. European Command for hosting way too many cushy billets for senior officers

Sarkozy Talks Terrorism with Obama: “Democracies cannot afford to give in”

By the White House

From the White House:  Excerpts from remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France after Bilateral Meeting. Obama:  We don’t have a stronger friend and a stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy and the French people.  We have cooperated over the last several years on dealing with a global economic crisis, dealing […]

End of EU Arms Embargo with China may Spark Transatlantic Quarrel

By John Vinocur, the International Herald Tribune

From John Vinocur, the International Herald Tribune:  [T]he E.U.’s attitude on its 20-year-old embargo on supplying China with military wherewithal looks wobbly.

Chinese Amb: “Cold Europe is feeling the warmth of the Chinese breeze”

By Anthony Faiola, the Washington Post

From Anthony Faiola, the Washington Post:  [S]peculation among traders that cash-rich China might step in and buy hard-hit European bonds, along with Chinese officials suggesting that Beijing would keep supporting the euro, helped the currency claw out a gain Monday

As Arctic melts, U.S. ill-positioned to tap resources

By Jacquelyn Ryan, the Washington Post

From Jacquelyn Ryan, the Washington Post:  The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, has identified the Arctic as an area of key strategic interest.

Germany turns down NATO request for more AWACS in Afghanistan

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Germany does not plan to support a request made by field commanders for more AWACS reconnaissance aircraft in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Sunday. Westerwelle said the decision would be no surprise for allies as he had informed the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, […]

Russia in NATO?

By the Editors of the Washington Times

From the Editors of the Washington Times:  Some bad national security ideas refuse to go away. One of the worst of them floating around the last 20 years is the notion that Russia should be offered membership in the NATO alliance.

Poll: Turks see US as Biggest Threat

By Joe Parkinson, the Wall Street Journal

From Joe Parkinson, the Wall Street Journal:  According to a wide-ranging survey carried out by the Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic and Social Research Center in December, some 43% of Turks said they perceive the U.S. as the country’s biggest threat