Russia was never fully welcome in the Western world order, much less able to participate in it on equal terms. By Nina L. Khrushcheva I hate agreeing with Vladimir Putin, even a little.
Category: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Lithuania to build fence along Kaliningrad border, fearful of Russian ‘little green men’
Lithuania plans to build a 2-meter-high wire fence along its border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad, its interior minister said on Tuesday, amid continued tensions between Moscow and the Baltic states, which are members of NATO. Eimutis Misiunas acknowledged that such a fence would provide little defense against a full-blown military assault but said it underscored Lithuanians’ concerns about a more assertive Russia and could also help prevent lesser cross-border incursions.
Poland wants to increase its military ties with the US
Krzysztof Szczerski, President Andrzej Duda’s top foreign policy adviser, was speaking days before the new U.S. administration that has signaled a friendlier approach to Russia takes power in Washington. Szczerski also suggested that Poland would welcome the re-election of Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany, Poland’s largest trade partner with whom relations have soured since Polish conservatives came to power a year ago.
Defiant EU nations ready themselves for Trump presidency
European Union nations bracing for the looming Donald Trump presidency showed defiance Monday in the face of the president-elect’s stinging comments on everything from NATO and German cars to the crumbling of the EU itself. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the U.S. president-elect’s view that NATO was obsolete and his criticism that European allied members aren’t paying their fair share had “caused astonishment.”
European leaders shocked as Trump slams NATO and E.U., raising fears…
European leaders said Monday that they may have to stand alone without the United States once Donald Trump enters office, raising the prospect of an unprecedented breach in transatlantic relations after Trump’s comments that the European Union is bound for a breakup and that NATO is obsolete. Trump said in a weekend interview with the Times of London and Germany’s Bild newspaper that the 28-nation European Union was a vehicle for German interests and said that he was indifferent to the bloc’s fate.
Pence tries to calm worries about Trump’s foreign policy
Vice President-elect Mike Pence attempted to calm European fears on Monday that President-elect Trump is pulling the United States away from its traditional allies and toward Russia. Speaking on Fox News, Pence said Trump’s statements to foreign newspapers that NATO is obsolete that caused a stir Monday, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying Europe’s fate is in “our own hands,” shouldn’t be seen so negatively.
Merkel or Putin: Trump won’t be drawn on who he trusts more
Days away from being sworn in as US President, Donald Trump isn’t saying who he trusts more — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a longtime US ally, or Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump called it a draw — at least for now, in a joint interview conducted on Friday by German publication Bild and the Times of London.
Trump’s foreign policy nominees flat-out disagree with him
Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing. Donald Trump ‘s foreign policy nominees launched a Reassurance Offensive last week, promising Congress – and the rest of us – that the next president won’t be as scary as he sounds.
‘We waited for decades’: Polish leaders hail arrival of U.S. troops
‘We waited for decades’: Polish leaders hail arrival of U.S. troops The deployment is part of a NATO operation that has drawn criticism from Russia. Check out this story on ElPasoTimes.com: http://usat.ly/2iwPm48 Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz speaks during the official welcoming ceremony of the U.S. troops in Zagan, Poland, on Jan. 14, 2017.
Polish gov’t welcomes U.S. troops in historic moment
The ceremony in the western Polish town of Zagan comes some 23 years after the last Soviet troops left Poland. It marks a new historic moment — the first time Western forces are being deployed on a continuous basis to NATO’s eastern flank.
Nervous about their neighbour, Ukraine and Latvia urge Canada to press Trump on Russia
Soldiers lift their rifles during an honor guard beside the Freedom monument in Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017 Two of Russia’s nervous neighbours are urging the Trudeau Liberals to use Canada’s close relationship with the U.S. to encourage the incoming Trump administration not to become too cosy with the Kremlin. The ambassadors of Ukraine and Latvia tell The Canadian Press that Canada’s historic friendship and alliance with the world’s only superpower puts it in a strong position to advise president-elect Donald Trump to be wary of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kosovo says Serbia’s train to its north violates sovereignty
Kosovo considers Serbia’s effort to launch a rail link between the two countries as a provocation and an aggressive violation of its sovereignty. The Serbian government announced Friday it will launch a railway link between Belgrade and northern Mitrovica in Kosovo, where most of the country’s ethnic Serb minority is located.
US troops arriving in Poland draw Russian ire
US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland Thursday as part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War, an operation that Russia angrily branded a “threat”. The Atlantic Resolve mission will see more than 3,000 American soldiers and heavy equipment deployed in Poland and nearby NATO partners Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary on a rotational basis.
Turkey expects change in US policy over Syrian Kurds: Defense Minister
Turkey hopes the new U.S. administration will change its policy of cooperation with the People’s Protection Units in Syria, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Is k said on Jan. 12. He reiterated that he believed the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party was a “terrorist organization.” “We will continue to say that cooperation with them is not legitimate.
Patrick Buchanan: Iran nuclear deal: Alive or dead?
Though every Republican in Congress voted against the Iran nuclear deal, “Tearing it up … is not going to happen,” says Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Today in History
On Jan. 10, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his “Great Society” programs as well as the war in Vietnam. That same day, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.
In 2016, David Bowie died
On Jan. 10, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his “Great Society” programs as well as the war in Vietnam. That same day, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.
Taliban ramp up attacks in southwestern Afghanistan as NATO casualties hit a low
The Taliban have continued their assault on Afghanistan’s southwestern Helmand province with fresh attacks in two key districts, Afghan security forces said, as NATO announced that its forces last year suffered the fewest casualties since the U.S. invasion in 2001. The latest round of fighting began Dec. 31 in Sangin and Marjah districts, a provincial spokesman said.
Hunt is on for Istanbul attacker
Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations. Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.
Suspect in Istanbul nightclub attack who killed 39 still at large
Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding tens of others in what the province’s governor described as a terror attack.
Police secure the area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack, in Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal A gunman opened fire on New Year revellers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene.
Manhunt in Turkey after New Yeara s nightclub shooting
A manhunt is on in Turkey for an assailant in a Santa Claus hat who unleashed a salvo of bullets in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people. Foreigners were among the fatalities, including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national, according to the two countries’ respective foreign ministries.
Russian air strikes target IS around Syria’s al-Bab – Turkish military
ANKARA: Russian aircraft have carried out three air strikes on Islamic State around the Syrian town of al-Bab over the past 24 hours, the Turkish military said on Friday, in what appeared to be the first Russian support for Turkish army operations in the area. The strikes came as a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict, got off to a shaky start at midnight.
Trump signals shift from Obama’s focus on multilateralism
For eight years, President Barack Obama’s foreign policy doctrine has been rooted in a belief that while the United States can take action around the word on its own, it rarely should. His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has derided some of the same international partnerships Obama and his recent predecessors have promoted, raising the prospect that the Republican’s “America First” agenda might well mean an America more willing to act alone.
SitRep: China’s Aircraft Carrier Making Taiwan Nervous; Russia Hits Obama, Looks Forward to Trump
Cruise control. Taiwan has been nervously watching as Beijing’s aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, cruised past Taiwan on its way to the South China Sea in recent days, though Chinese officials said the movement was a routine drill.
Retired RCAF commanders flag pilot numbers as weak point in Liberals’ jet plan
Two former Royal Canadian Air Force commanders are raising questions about the Liberal government’s rush to buy “interim” fighter jets, saying there won’t be enough pilots to fly the planes for years to come. Retired lieutenant-generals Kenneth Pennie and Andre Deschamps say that defeats the purpose of acquiring Super Hornets as a stop-gap measure, and running a full competition now makes more sense.
Murder of Russian ambassador underscore…
An off-duty Turkish police officer gunned down Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, Monday at a photo exhibit on Ankara’s John F. Kennedy Street, just across from the US Embassy. The assailant, a member of the riot police, positioned himself right behind the ambassador, fired several shots at close range, and then ranted about Russia’s involvement in the anti-jihadist operation in Syria.
DefMin Motoc on fresh addition of three F-16 fighter jets: A moment well received by NATO
Minister of National Defence Mihnea Motoc considers that the addition to Romania’s Air Force of three new F-16 Fighting Falcons is an important moment for the country and sends a strategic message that is “well received” by NATO. “It’s a milestone moment in many respects, perhaps through the entire symbolism of the F-16s entering service with the Romanian Air Force.
Two-star general demoted after affair
An Army major general has been stripped of his stars and forced out of the military after a 30-year military career because of a long extramarital affair and “swinger” lifestyle. An Army spokesman says Maj.
NATO says it sees sharp rise in Russian disinformation since Crimea seizure
NATO accused Russia of escalating a disinformation campaign since the Kremlin’s 2014 seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region, saying Russian websites such as Sputnik and RT had posted false stories, the alliance’s spokeswoman said on Saturday. There is increasing concern among senior NATO and European Union officials over Russia’s ability to use television and the Internet to spread what they say is fake news.