In The News

Arab Press Welcomes NATO Split

February 12, 2003
Newspapers around the Arab world are joyful at the split that has occurred between the US and its NATO allies Germany, Belgium, and France. The three countries have stated their opposition to protecting Turkey, a fellow NATO member, arguing that to promise it even defensive support would mean encouraging a US-led war on Iraq. Interpreting the three countries' move as support of Arab...

Allies Face a Fresh Crisis

Joseph Fitchett February 10, 2003
The differences over Iraq that emerged between France, Germany and the US in the UN Security Council have now widened and spilled over into NATO. The Bush administration and Congressional leaders were furious at a news report about a secret Franco-German plan to boost the number of arms inspectors in Iraq. That dispute has now spread to NATO as France, along with Germany and Belgium, blocked...

Crisis Over Saddam a Huge Test for Europe

Doug Bandow January 31, 2003
The leaders of France and Germany both threaten to veto a UN Security Council war resolution. Such a veto could deal a significant blow to the United States’ legitimacy in pursuing war. For the United States to take that threat seriously, however, France and Germany must develop what is now ambiguous opposition into real action and support from other like-minded nations. Otherwise, Doug Bandow...

After NATO's Year of Identity Crisis, a Defining Meeting

Steven Erlanger November 4, 2002
With expansion on the horizon, NATO will meet in November to redefine its purpose in response to the new threats of the twenty-first century. In a world where large-scale conventional defense may become obsolete, many are questioning the ability of NATO to adapt to the changing needs of its allies. Nato was originally founded to counter Soviet expansion during the Cold War. Realists have three...

Europe Must Now Defend Itself

Quentin Peel July 7, 2002
The U.S. and the European Union (EU) still have not reached an agreement on the International Criminal Court (ICC), mainly due to the American fear that its own soldiers may face trials in a non-American court in accordance with the statutes of the ICC. In this article, the author argues that if the U.S. wants to block the renewal of the mission mandates of the ICC, it can either cut its...

That Dog Won’t Bark

William Safire January 24, 2002
China remains silent after it discovers 27 spying devices in a plane sold to them by the United States; Russia welcomes NATO to its borders; the Arab street does not publicly criticize the invasion of fellow religious extremists in Afghanistan. Why is it that whenever the United States resolves to “go it alone” anticipated opposition seems to melt away? Safire asserts that part of the reason is...