Tag : NATO
Some German-based US troops will head east to Poland, Pentagon says, even though question remain on infrastructure needs
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said U.S. forces are bound for Poland after negotiations with Warsaw have been successfully concluded and that a new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will provide “the required legal framework, infrastructure and equitable burden-sharing essential to deepening our defense cooperation.” Under the agreement, which has yet to be foamily signed, Poland willRead more
Pentagon delivers on Trump’s vow to punish Germany, yanks troops and headquarters
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon delivered on President Trump’s threat to punish Germany, announcing Wednesday the removal of 11,900 troops from the NATO ally, as well as air wings and command headquarters. The decision, which had bubbled for several weeks, has attracted significant bipartisan opposition and upset allies who see it as Trump’s way to weakenRead moreTug of War
This week brings a watershed moment for Eastern European democracy. (U.S. News) Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s deputy prime minister, remembers all too clearly the undiplomatic characterization of his newly independent nation by then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright. “It is a black hole,” she sniffed, explaining why she thought Slovakia was not ready for admittance to NATORead more
How many times can the game change?
In January 1864, some strangely dressed men with odd accents arrived in the camp of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, whose troops had been reeling from shortages of arms and supplies. They demonstrate a new weapon – an amazingly high powered accurate “repeater” rifle – and offer it to Lee. He accepts. And the armingRead more-
Guns for the Guys
The idea of arming the Syrian rebels is being chatted up once again. The debate will wander and focus in many theoretical directions. Yet essentially the decision will focus on one key pivot: is the goal a short-term or long-term victory? The safe bet: short-term considerations will win out. The U.N. proclamation that the oneRead more -
Mr. Assad, meet Mr. Milosevic….
Bashar Assad, let me introduce you to Slobodan Milosevic. Technically, you cannot shake his hand – at least today. Milosevic died in his cell in The Hague, after the nation that he led into war and ruin emerged to form a tentative democracy. The new Yugoslav leadership traded Milosevic for economic and political benefits withRead more -
Border Crossing Euphoria
That perfect moment of the triumph of the people happened again in Syria. The rebels captured another border crossing between Syria and Turkey, lowering the Syrian flag and raising their own banner. It is a symbolic moment of victory – and in a bloody civil war abundant with various factions and no real positive endgameRead more -
Karzai Hat, No Takers
The bloom has long been off the Karzai hat as Afghanistan becomes worse and worse. Right after U.S. forces went into Afghanistan in 2001 — in those heady “Paris 1944” days of liberating Kabul and most of the country — one of my best friends put to me an urgent request. Knowing I was enRead more -
The NATO Moment of Truth Faces the Arab League
It took NATO 46 years and eight months before it intervened with military force to protect innocent civilians from harm and manage a conflict on its periphery. Can we truly expect the Arab League to move any quicker in dealing with problems in its neighborhood? Probably not. When NATO finally heeded the call from thoseRead more
