Western Europe

NATO ships defend Misrata port from attack by pro-Gaddafi boats

By NATO

From NATO:   In the early hours of Thursday 12 May 2011, while conducting Embargo patrols in the waters off the coast of Libya, NATO warships participated in a coordinated defence against a small boat attack threatening the port city of Misrata.

David Cameron: begin troop withdrawal from Afghanistan now

By James Kirkup, the Telegraph

From James Kirkup, the Telegraph:  Following the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the Prime Minister is increasingly determined to start bringing the Afghan mission to an end.

NATO steps up attacks in Libya; rebels report gains

By Michael Birnbaum and Joby Warrick, the Washington Post

From Michael Birnbaum and Joby Warrick, the Washington Post:  NATO carried out its most forceful attacks in weeks in Libya on Tuesday

Did NATO Leave 62 Africans to Die at Sea Off Libya?

By Vivienne Walt, Time

From Vivienne Walt, Time:  Did NATO pilots allow 62 Africans fleeing Libya to perish on the high seas because their mission did not include saving desperate migrants or because NATO’s tangled bureaucracy had failed?

NATO “needs to get its act together”

By the Editors of the New York Times

From the Editors of the New York Times:  Unless NATO, including the United States, get more serious, Libya’s liberation war could turn into a prolonged, bloody stalemate.

Awkward Moment for Obama and Merkel

By John Vinocur, the International Herald Tribune

From John Vinocur, the International Herald Tribune:  There will be an interesting diplomatic moment at the White House next month when President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian distinction, to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Vive the refreshed Anglo-French alliance

By Zaki Laidi, the Financial Times

From Zaki Laidi, the Financial Times:  The Libyan crisis marks the beginning of a new cycle for the two countries because the American factor is no longer a source of divergence.

Is Britain a Pocket Superpower or Super-Belgium?

By Julian Lindley-French

Oh no, not again! The BBC’s Robert Peston has discovered that the two currently under construction and now infamous British aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will cost more than originally envisaged. One outlier estimate has the cost as high as £10bn, rather than the £3.9bn budgeted for. This is apparently […]

Justice for Osama bin Laden’s NATO victims

As the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden authorized attacks which killed more civilians of NATO members than any other threat against the alliance.

Libyans burn British and Italian embassies after NATO strike

By the AP

From the AP:  Angry mobs attacked Western embassies and U.N. offices in Tripoli Sunday after NATO bombed Moammar Gadhafi’s family compound