Western Europe

UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops for Afghanistan

By the AP

From the AP: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says 10 NATO nations are ready to offer about 5,000 more troops for the war in Afghanistan. Brown’s spokesman Simon Lewis said Wednesday the British leader was optimistic over the pledges of additional personnel following talks with about 10 NATO nations in recent weeks. Lewis said Brown […]

Tories to pull British forces out of Germany

By the Telegraph

From the Telegraph: The Shadow Defence Secretary told The Daily Telegraph that ending Britain’s 25,000 strong military presence on the Rhine would be part of a fundamental reorganisation of Nato forces designed to free troops for military operations outside Europe… As part of a strategic defence review if the Tories win power, Dr. [Liam] Fox […]

Who is NATO’s Miracle Worker?

When Barack Obama became President, the debate in European capitals was over how quickly they could decrease the number of troops contributed to NATO’s war in Afghanistan. Yet in the past week, something remarkable has happened in NATO, some of our European allies are actually sending more troops to Afghanistan, not just for temporary duty […]

Belgian Van Rompuy, UK’s Ashton win top EU jobs

By Reuters

From Reuters: European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who is little known outside his own country, as the bloc’s first president on Thursday to lead efforts to make it more influential on the world stage. They also chose Baroness Catherine Ashton, a Briton little known even in her own country, as […]

Slovakia to add 250 NATO troops to Afghan mission

By the AP

From the AP: Slovakia pledged about 250 extra soldiers Tuesday to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, the first of what British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said would be a series of international reinforcements. The central European country will double the size of its 246-strong contingent in Afghanistan, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a […]

Learning From Germany

By Dave Schuler

I agree with Paul Krugman that we can learn something from Germany:

French Ship Sale to Russia Must Be Blown Off Course

By David Smith

The French Navy ship Mistral tied up at a downtown Saint Petersburg pier November 23. With the golden dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral shimmering in the background, the amphibious assault ship made a perfect sales promotion picture, which was precisely its mission.  Some in Paris—led by the Elysée Palace—want to sell Mistral class ships to […]

Italy’s Foreign Minister says post-Lisbon EU needs a European Army

By the Times (London)

From the Times (London): Italy is to push for the creation of a European Army after the “new Europe” takes shape at this week’s crucial EU summit following the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. Franco Frattini, the Italian Foreign Minister, said that the Lisbon Treaty had established “that if some countries want to enter into […]

Americans and Western Europeans Agree on Afghanistan-Pakistan Extremist Threat

By the Pew Research Center

From the Pew Research Center: A transatlantic consensus exists with regard to the threat posed by extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, even though Americans and Western Europeans generally disagree about what policy to pursue in Afghanistan. A 14-nation survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, conducted Aug. 27 through Sept. 24, finds Americans […]

Britain Asks Allies for More Troops in Afghanistan

By the New York Times

From the New York Times: As the Obama administration ponders whether to commit more American troops to Afghanistan, Germany on Friday announced a modest increase in its contingent and Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain said he was pressing European and other allies to deploy 5,000 more soldiers there… “I have taken the responsibility of […]