Western Europe

NATO: The Case for Collective Defense in the 21st Century

On January 5, the Atlantic Council hosted the United Kingdom’s Secretary of Defense Philip Hammond for his first public remarks in the United States.

UK Defense Secretary: Europe Failing to Meet Responsibilities

By James Joyner

In his first US address since become UK’s defense secretary, Philip Hammond blasted his fellow Europeans for “failing to meet their financial responsibilities to NATO, and so failing to maintain appropriate and proportionate capabilities.” Speaking at the Atlantic Council in advance of a meeting with his US counterpart, Leon Panetta, Hammond declared, “Without strong economies […]

Guido Westerwelle: Europe’s New Hillary Clinton?

By Julian Lindley-French

Watching German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle with British Foreign Secretary William Hague this week I was reminded of a John F. Kennedy quote; “The problem with power is how to achieve its responsible use, rather than its irresponsible or indulgent use”. That is not to suggest that Westerwelle is in any way irresponsible. Indeed, what […]

European Worries Over US Commitment a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

By James Joyner

The perennial worry in London about the state of the “special relationship” took a new twist last week, with the chief of the British military chief publicly wondering what America’s Pacific focus will mean for his country’s security. General Sir David Richard, Chief of the Defence Staff, delivering his annual lecture to the Royal United Services […]

The power of the anglosphere

By Neil Reynolds, the Globe and Mail

From Neil Reynolds, the Globe and Mail:  Now, in The New World Order, a study published in November by the London-based Legatum Institute, [American geographer Joel] Kotkin and nine academic associates conclude that the anglosphere will remain the ascendant player on the world stage for a long time to come.