U.S. aerospace and defence magazine Aviation Week has succeeded in inventing the world’s most ridiculous justification for Britain’s “independent nuclear deterrent”–which is no easy feat given the quality of the entries in that particular competition over the years. According to AvWeek‘s Ares blog (“U.K. Trident Renewal: Maintaining West’s Nuclear Parity With China,” Ares, 19 May […]
Tag Archives: NATO
Withdrawal issues: NATO countries on the future of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe
According to “Withdrawal issues: What NATO countries say about the future of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe,” a recently released report by peace advocacy group IKV Pax Christi, there is sufficient political will within NATO to end the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) in Europe. The report found that 14 NATO members, half […]
Canadian general to lead Libya mission
Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard has been tapped to lead the no-fly and arms-embargo elements of the Libya intervention now that NATO has agreed to run those operations (Daniel Leblanc, “Canadian general to take command of NATO mission in Libya,” Globe and Mail, 25 March 2011). However, the Alliance has not yet formally agreed to run […]
How NATO came to Afghanistan
Historian and journalist Gareth Porter on the process that led to NATO being in Afghanistan (Gareth Porter, “How Afghanistan became a war for NATO,” Inter Press Service, 3 January 2011): The official line of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO command in Afghanistan, is that the war against Afghan insurgents is vital to […]
Canadians "may underestimate security threat"
The Harper government is worried about Canadian opposition to its plans to more closely integrate Canadian and U.S. border security efforts (Steven Chase, “Ottawa crafts plan to ward off criticism over U.S. border deal,” Globe and Mail, 10 December 2010). As the Globe and Mail reports, the Department of Public Safety’s communications strategy for the […]
NATO approves "new" Strategic Concept
NATO leaders approved a new Strategic Concept document at their Lisbon summit meeting on Friday. The document lays out NATO’s vision of its role in the world, the Alliance’s goals, and how Alliance members intend to pursue those goals. Among other elements, it also spells out the fundamental tenets of NATO’s nuclear weapons policy. On […]