As violent unrest and ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan worsen, there is one notable absentee from the crisis: the European Union. At least 120 people have been killed, and the specter of a refugees crisis now seems more likely than not. EU Foreign Minister, Catherine Ashton, is currently preoccupied with the creation of the EU’s newly authorized foreign service—the 6,000-strong diplomatic corps that will be known as the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Lisbon Treaty also endowed the EU with other foreign policy responsibilities, stating that it would use civilian …
The US Government looked on in shock this week when Turkey defied its traditional allies including the United States and Israel, and voted against UN sanctions for Iran. Ankara had already tried to stall a fourth round of sanctions by negotiating a flawed nuclear deal with the atomic ayatollahs. U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates has said that Turkey’s strategic drift away from the West is due, in part, to the European Union’s reluctance to accept them into the alliance. Turkey has been a key NATO ally since the ‘50s, and …
The Dutch electorate takes to the polls tomorrow, following the Government’s collapse in April. In fact, it was the fourth fallen Administration of Christian Democrat Jan Peter Balkenende—this time over claims that one coalition party withheld information from another. Quite simply, it looks as if the uneasy partnership between Labour and Christian Democrats finally gave way after much political infighting. The government’s declining enthusiasm to fulfill NATO’s request to extend the Dutch deployment to Afghanistan was merely a convenient scapegoat. The polls have had almost every major contender leading the …
The proposed €110 billion ($140 billion) Greek rescue package announced on Sunday may well not survive the week. Watching public sector workers storming the Acropolis in protest at proposed government spending cuts and tax increases, raises the question of whether the Greek Government itself can survive. Eurozone countries have agreed to provide €80 billion in emergency loans over the next three years for Greece, with the rest coming from the IMF. In exchange for avoiding bankruptcy (at least for the next couple of months), Greece has agreed to pass a …
The death this morning of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Kaczynska is a tragedy that will touch the heart of many Americans. President Kaczynski was a Polish patriot of the first order, whose life exemplifies the meaning of courage, sacrifice and commitment to his family, his country and the Polish people. From his early days in the legendary Solidarity movement, President Kaczynski fought for the independence, sovereignty and self-determination of his country. And in the two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, President Kaczynski has been …
If President Obama thinks that signing his prized arms control treaty with Russia on Czech soil will repair the damage he’s done to relations with Central and Eastern Europe, he’s wrong. Cutting a deal with the Russian bear in Prague is hardly the way to tell your allies that it’s not all about Russia. Although cheering crowds greeted Obama a year ago when he told adoring Czechs of his vision for a world without nuclear weapons, Europe now is much more cautiously embracing the President’s risky and naïve agenda. The …
The EU’s beleaguered Foreign Minister, Baroness Ashton, stated yesterday that she is no longer opposed to the creation of a permanent EU military headquarters to support a European army that will stand separate from NATO. In a flip-flop that would make John Kerry blush, first she was against the idea and now she’s in favor. How quickly the world’s highest paid politician changes her mind. A permanent EU headquarters is yet another step toward an independent EU defense identity to undermine the primacy of NATO in European security structures, and …
Tomorrow, the European Union will unveil its Europe 2020 strategy, designed to make Europe the most competitive, dynamic, knowledge-based economy by 2020. If the slogan appears familiar, that’s because it is. In 2000, the EU launched its Lisbon Agenda, to make Europe the most competitive, dynamic, knowledge-based economy by 2010. It failed. Badly. But instead of admitting defeat, the EU has resorted to its time honored tradition – don’t let a good crisis go to waste. It has become even more hubristic, seeking to centralize greater areas of policymaking and …
European leaders were shocked this week when Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a NATO audience that the alliance faces a “crisis” because the continent has largely demilitarized. Why the surprise — have they been in a coma? Europe’s free defense ride — thanks to the rock-solid US security guarantee within the NATO alliance — has been a problem for decades. Taking the US protective umbrella for granted, the continent has raided defense budgets to cover its ever-growing welfare bills. Just four of NATO’s European members (Bulgaria, France, Greece and Britain) …
In a series of events in Washington this week, the Obama Administration has laid out its vision for the future of NATO. As part of NATO’s on-going review of its Strategic Concept, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates have each made public speeches outlining what NATO should look like in the future. And for the most part, their recommendations follow The Heritage Foundation’s Principles and Proposals for NATO Reform: The Alliance needs a new threat perception to address asymmetrical …
