Western Europe

Cameron backs Turkey joining the EU

By Alex Barker and Delphine Strauss, the Financial Times

From Alex Barker and Delphine Strauss, the Financial Times:  David Cameron will express his “anger” on Tuesday at Turkey’s European Union membership bid being “frustrated” by the bloc’s leaders, as he heaps praise on an emerging power increasingly at odds with Britain, the US and Europe on the world stage.

NATO nations: Hope document leak won’t affect war

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  NATO’s European members said Monday they hope the unprecedented leak of 91,000 classified U.S. military records on Afghanistan will not negatively affect the current war effort. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there has been significant progress recently in building up the Afghan state "so I hope any such leaks […]

Brzezinski: NATO facing ‘budget cuts that leave the alliance militarily emasculated’

By Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News

From Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News:  Excerpts from interview with NATO expert Ian Brzezinski. The unpopular war in Afghanistan may be NATO’s greatest challenge since the end of the Cold War, leading some to question its continued relevance. Does NATO have a future? In five or 10 years, if we’re lucky and things are handled wisely, […]

The F-35 fighter and Canada’s international commitments

By Andre Gerolymatos, the Vancouver Sun

From Andre Gerolymatos, the Vancouver Sun:  Fundamentally, the Canadian Air Force has not only commitments to NATO but also to Norad (North American Aerospace Defence Command). Beyond the obvious advantages in advanced technology that the sub-contracting of the construction of the F-35 will yield for Canadian companies, Canada’s warplanes must be able to keep up […]

France says too soon to talk of Afghan pullout

By Reuters

Fox: ‘what do Challenger tanks in Germany… contribute to what’s happening in Afghanistan?’

By the Telegraph

From the Telegraph:  In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, [British Defence Secretary Liam] Fox said the dire state of the public finances meant the Armed Forces could no longer be equipped to cover every conceivable danger.

Britain’s MoD looks at cutting 30,000 troops

By Alex Barker and James Blitz, the Financial Times

From Alex Barker and James Blitz, the Financial Times:  Military planners are examining cutting Britain’s land forces from eight to five brigades, in a radical restructuring option that would hand the army operational command of the Royal Marines. The proposed overhaul, which would slash army numbers by up to 30,000, is an extreme scenario that […]

Britain’s coalition government attacked over withdrawal plans

By Alex Barker, James Blitz, and George Parker, the Financial Times

Obama strategist: ‘the durability of this mission has to be attended to’

By David E. Sanger, the New York Times

From David E. Sanger, the New York Times:  When President Obama announced a new strategy for Afghanistan in December, he argued that by setting a deadline of next summer to begin drawing down troops he would create a sense of urgency for the Afghan government to take the lead in the fight, while acknowledging the […]

Allies privately differ on defining July date and withdrawal plans

By  Alissa J. Rubin, Richard A. Oppel, Jr. and Mark Landler, the New York Times

From Alissa J. Rubin, Richard A. Oppel, Jr. and Mark Landler, the New York Times:  The United States, European and other foreign leaders met here Tuesday to pledge anew their support for Afghanistan as they committed to complete transition of security and budgeting responsibility to the Afghan government by 2014. They acknowledged that neither the public in their […]