The Washington Post: Right Wing Netherworld (Updated)

The Washington Post is a “right wing netherworld”? Who knew? Here's Fareed Zakaria, published in the Washington Post this morning: At his United Nations debut, Barack Obama urged global cooperation to combat nuclear proliferation, climate change and other problems that go beyond the borders of any one country. The speech was well received around the world, except in one ...

Obama Snubs Sarkozy with Chirac Overture?

Fresh off the heels of snubbing Gordon Brown by not holding a joint press conference with him and giving him a gift that could have been purchased at Wal-Mart, Barack Obama has annoyed Nicolas Sarkozy by sending a mash note to former French president Jacques Chirac asserting that, "I am certain that we will be able to work together, in ...

NATO Head Tells Europe Leadership and Burdens Go Together

You've probably never heard of Jaap de Hoop Scheffer but he's my new hero. He's secretary general of NATO and he's got a message: Europe Must 'Share the Heavy Lifting' in Afghanistan. He says it's great that Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy want a greater voice in Alliance decision-making.  But he says that comes with a price:  Taking an equal ...

Expanding the Security Council?

French and EU President Nicolas Sarkozy issued a call from the floor of the UN yesterday to expand the Security Council and G8. Declaring that, "The 21st century world cannot be governed with the institutions of the 20th century," he argued that inclusion of today's emerging powers is not just "a matter fairness" but a necessary condition ...

NATO Toothless in Georgia Situation?

Charles Krauthammer has a scathing column this morning excoriating NATO for its weak response to the Georgia crisis.  He observes that NATO's recent statement on the matter is "almost comically evenhanded." It's not until paragraph six that NATO, a 26-nation alliance with 900 million people and nearly half of world GDP, unsheathes its mighty sword, boldly declaring "Russian military action" -- ...

G8 and EU Growing Pains

Two articles cited in today's Small Wars Journal roundup have almost nothing to do with wars, small or otherwise, but are nonetheless interesting in showing the state of flux of some key international institutions. Steven Erlanger reports on a bold attempt to forge a "Union of the Mediterranean" which would be something of a minor league for the European Union. Perhaps the ...

Ireland Rejects Treaty of Lisbon

It's received precious little notice here in the States but Irish voters have rejected the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU's latest move towards reform and greater consolidation of power in Brussels: DUBLIN, Ireland - Ireland's voters have rejected the European Union reform treaty, a blueprint for modernizing the 27-nation bloc that cannot become law without Irish approval, electoral officials said Friday. In ...

NATO Adds Albania and Croatia, Rejects Macedonia, Georgia, Ukraine

Despite -- or perhaps partly because of -- backing from the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has denied membership to Macedonia and rejected a bid to grant Membership Action Plans to put Georgia and Ukraine on a one-year path to membership in the Alliance. BBC: Nato has confirmed it will not yet offer membership to Georgia or ...

Sarkozy Vows to Punish Gun-Toting Rioters

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed Wednesday that rioters who shot at police during a flare-up of Paris suburban unrest would be severely punished," AFP reports. Strikes me as a good idea. Via OTB News.

Giuliani: Democrat Would Put U.S. Left of France

Rudy Giuliani says electing a Democrat in 2008 would put the United States to the left of France. Rudy Giuliani's speech Wednesday afternoon at Drake University had a general election feel as the contender for the Republican presidential nomination drew significant contrasts between himself and Democratic Oval Office hopefuls. "If we are not careful and you don't elect me, this country ...

Britain No Longer Closest Ally?

The Bush Administration is distancing itself from the UK and sidling up to the new governments of Old Europe powers France and Germany, Toby Harnden reports for the Daily Telegraph. The White House no longer views Britain as its most loyal ally in Europe since Gordon Brown took office and is instead increasingly turning towards France and Germany, according to Bush ...

France to Rejoin NATO Military Command

All signs point to France rejoining NATO's military structure more than forty years after declaring its independence and kicking the alliance headquarters out of Paris. Norman Polmar provides some background: France is expected to soon rejoin NATO's military command after a 40-year absence. The French government withdrew from the NATO military structure in 1966 (although remaining a member of NATO's political-policy ...

Sarkozy: Bombing Iran an Option

French President Nicolas Sarkozy caused quite a stir by raising the specter of bombing Iran to prevent it becoming a nuclear weapon state. The biggest challenge to the world was the avoidance of conflict between Islam and the West, President Sarkozy told the annual gathering of French ambassadors. Iran was the crossroads of the Middle East’s troubles and its nuclear aims ...

France Key to Iraq Deal?

Nicolas Sarkozy's government has pledged to take a lead role in brokering a peace deal among Iraq's warring groups. After years of shunning involvement in a war it said was wrong, France now believes it may hold the key to peace in Iraq, proposing itself as an "honest broker" between the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions. The shift was one of the ...

UK Can’t Have Two Best Friends

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton writes an open letter to the Brits telling them, essentially, that they must choose between the United States and the European Union. [S]aying that the UK’s “single most important bilateral relationship” is with America, but is not comparable with UK membership of the EU, is a clever but ultimately meaningless dodge. Drop the word “bilateral”. What ...