Western Europe

Sarkozy and Cameron wrestle with NATO’s burden sharing problem

By Edward Cody, the Washington Post

From Edward Cody, the Washington Post:  President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, the vanguard of intervention in favor of rebel forces, met at the Elysee Palace with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Berlin’s stance on Libya has isolated Germany in NATO

By Nicholas Burns, Deutsche Welle

From Nicholas Burns, Deutsche Welle:  There’s no question that the European members of NATO would have been more effective as a military unit if German forces had contributed to the mission.

France criticizes NATO’s management of Libya operation

By Matthew Lee and Raf Casert, the AP

From Matthew Lee and Raf Casert, the AP:  At a European Union meeting in Luxembourg, Paris lamented the limited U.S. military role in Libya and chided Germany, too, for its lack of involvement.

Pace of Attacks in Libya Conflict Is Dividing NATO

By the New York Times

From the New York Times:  But, before the gathering opened here [Doha, Qatar] on Wednesday, Mahmoud Shamman, a spokesman for the insurgents, reinforced the French and British criticism

France and Britain spark row with NATO

By  Maria Golovnina, Reuters

From Maria Golovnina, Reuters:  France and Britain, who first launched air attacks on Libya in coalition with the United States, said on Tuesday NATO must step up bombing of Muammar Gaddafi’s heavy weapons to protect civilians. NATO took over air operations from the three nations on March 31 but heavy government bombardment of the besieged western city […]

Will the Libya intervention bring the end of NATO?

By Anne Applebaum, the Washington Post

From Anne Applebaum, the Washington Post:  Two very important NATO members, Germany and Turkey, openly oppose the Libya mission and are refusing to play any operational role. A number of smaller members have made their objections known behind the scenes and aren’t sending anything much beyond the odd crate of food. The NATO secretary general […]

Tensions emerge in NATO’s Libya mission

By the Financial Times

Russia wants joint “red-button” control over NATO missile defense system

By Simone Baribeau and Henry Meyer, Bloomberg

From Simone Baribeau and Henry Meyer, Bloomberg: Russia wants to join in the planned U.S. missile shield in Europe with “red-button” rights to launch strikes at incoming weapons, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said. Russia, which is pursuing talks on the issue with the U.S., will only accept an agreement that allows it to have a […]

British Say NATO Faces Jet Shortage

By Alistair MacDonald and Stephen Fidler, the Wall Street Journal

From Alistair MacDonald and Stephen Fidler, the Wall Street Journal:  The U.S. pullout from the front line of military activity in Libya has left a shortage of ground-attack jets, prompting the British government to pressure its European allies to send more aircraft into the theater.

Britain Seeks Greater Pakistani Role in Securing Domestic Security Issues

By Luv Puri

The writing on the wall was clear when the British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Pakistan. The main agenda of the prime minister’s visit was to repair the soured relations between Britain and Pakistan. The relations dipped last year during the last visit of British Prime Minister to India when he lambasted Pakistani government for […]