Tag Archives: NATO

NATO to seek negotiated end to Afghan war?

The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan “is considering a plan to end the war by entering power-sharing negotiations with Taliban leaders and former fighters,” the Globe and Mail reports (Doug Saunders, NATO weighs Taliban truce in plans for Afghan peace, 25 January 2010). The paper says that “the scenario of a negotiated peace and a joint […]

Civilian deaths increase in Afghanistan

According to the United Nations, 2009 was the deadliest year for civilians in Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban government in 2001. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 2009 reports that at least 2412 Afghan civilians died as a result of the war last […]

Moens warns of "existentialist" threat

Simon Fraser University professor Alexander Moens warns in a new paper published by the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute that Canada and its NATO allies face an “existentialist threat”. But, no, the problem apparently is not that Jean-Paul Sartre or one of the other existentialists has risen from the grave. What Moens is actually […]

Obama escalates Afghan war, promises a way out

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday night that he is increasing the U.S. contingent in Afghanistan by 30,000 troops and asking NATO to increase its own troop presence by 5,000 to 10,000. He also stated that the U.S. would seek to speed up the transfer of responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghan government […]

Germany's Nuclear Dilemma and the Future of NATO

In 2009 the need for tactical nuclear weapons in Europe is dwindling. According to Prof. Joachim Krause of the Institute for Security Policy at Christian Albrecht University, the 480 warheads currently located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Turkey, are primarily short-range tactical weapons and their range is too limited to reach targets in […]

NATO Chief Wants Canada to Extend Afghan Mission

As domestic support for the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan grows, the government is facing new calls for a renewed commitment.  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO’s newly installed Secretary-General, made the plea on Thursday for Canada to maintain its military presence in the central Asian nation past 2011.  Despite reassurances he is “not going to […]