Western Europe

Major naval exercise set for Atlantic region

By Canada.com

Should Brits be Miffed by American Comments on BP? The View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

Last Friday, I wrote about harsh comments flying across the Atlantic from the United States in the wake of the BP oil spill. Many in the U.K. have taken American frustrations at BP as insulting to the British people and nation.  If anything, this has picked up steam.

Obama tells Cameron BP criticism is not anti-British

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle:  US President Barack Obama assured British Prime Minister David Cameron in a telephone conversation on Saturday that his criticism of BP’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not about national identity. US President Barack Obama told British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday that his frustration over […]

Polish General Appointed Top NATO Post

By Polskie Radio

From Polskie Radio: Lt General Mieczyslaw Bieniek is to be deputy commander at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, US – the highest position a Pole has attained within the Atlantic alliance. Defence Minister Bogdan Klich, refused to confirm the position simply however, saying a decision will be made "soon." The PAP news agency reports that initially, Gen. […]

UK Feels Backlash from BP Oil Spill: The View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

President Obama’s top energy advisor has already termed the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the worst environmental disaster in American history, and it’s far from over. The inability to stop the gushing flow has created plenty of vitriol and condemnation in the US toward the federal government and rig operator BP.

Getting Russia Right

By Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times

From Wolfgang Ischinger and Ulrich Weisser, the New York Times:  At a NATO summit in Strasbourg in April 2009, a group of experts headed by Madeleine Albright was directed to prepare the ground for a new “strategic concept.

NATO Allies Poised to Slash Military Budgets

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  European allies are bracing for their deepest cuts in military spending since the end of the Cold War, fueling concerns in Washington that an already wide gap in military power between the United States and the rest of NATO will grow.

The Keys to Britain’s New Policy on Afghanistan

By the Financial Times

From the Financial Times:  [British Prime Minister David] Cameron’s task now is to explain where the strategy is heading. He must emphasise three points. First, the US troop surge needs time to work. There can be no reassessment of policy until June 2011, when the surge will begin scaling down. There will be setbacks ahead. […]

Britain Is No Longer America’s Bridge to Europe

By Charles Kupchan, the Council on Foreign Relations

From Charles Kupchan, the Council on Foreign Relations:  [T]he effort to reclaim the US-UK “special relationship” as the foundation of British statecraft promises to leave Britain in a geopolitical no-man’s land and marginalise its international influence. The UK will enjoy far greater sway over transatlantic and global affairs by becoming a leading voice within the […]

Those Damned Sceptical Germans

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist: Once again, Europe has a German problem. In its handling of the euro crisis, Germany’s government stands accused of weakness, indecision and populism. Pro-European Germans say that Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that theirs has become just another normal European country. They add ominously that this risks flirting with Euroscepticism, even nationalism. […]