TresSugar

Barack Takes on France and Germany With Michelle by His Side

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:45:16 -0700

President Obama said bonjour and guten tag to America's European allies today, convincing them to support more civilian aid and a small troop increase in Afghanistan. America's first couple made stops in Strasbourg, France and Baden-Baden, Germany.

French President Sarkozy said: "We totally endorse and support America's new strategy in Afghanistan." Sweet. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also showed support for Obama's plan.

Obama also took time to hold a town-hall meeting in Strasbourg. After reflecting on history he said: "At the crossroads where we stand today, this shared history gives us hope, but it must not give us rest. This generation cannot stand still."

Tonight, Obama will present his plan to NATO's 28 members at a dinner in Baden-Baden. Take a look at tons of photos from the latest leg of the Obamas' European tour! Source

View Slideshow ›

Front Page: Nobel Peace Prize Awarded, Dow Falls Below 8,000 at Opening, NATO to Attack Opium Labs

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:54:05 -0700

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded:
The 2008 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this morning to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari. Chosen from a group of 197 people for his decades of cautious diplomatic work, the Nobel committee says he was picked, “for his important efforts in several continents and over three decades to resolve international conflicts," specifically his work to end South African domination in Namibia.

Dow Falls Below 8,000 at Opening:
Moments after the opening bell this morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 8,000 amid news that the global markets are in a selloff. European markets fell more than 10 percent at opening and shares in Asia continued to decline amid fears of a huge global recession. One expert says, “We are fighting really dire fundamentals. It will require restoring trust and confidence before a sustained rebound will be possible.” Perhaps addressing that confidence, President Bush is set to give an address at 10:25 a.m. ET.

NATO to Attack Opium Labs:
NATO has just agreed to allow its troops to attack opium factories in Afghanistan for the first time. According to a NATO spokesman the troops will be acting "against facilities and facilitators" to stop those using the drugs to finance the Taliban. Some NATO members have expressed concern that the crackdown will cause a backlash against the troops. Afghanistan supplies more than 90 percent of the world's opium.

Source

Should the US Push For Georgia to Join NATO?

LibertySugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Sarah Palin echoed John McCain's tough talk toward Russia, when she told Charlie Gibson that she favors putting Georgia in NATO, even though membership would mean the possibility of war with Russia. Last month, McCain said: "I would move forward at the right time with the application for membership in NATO by Georgia. As you know, through the NATO membership, that if a member nation is attacked, it is viewed as an attack on all."

Obama also called for partnership between NATO and Georgia in August: "I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a membership action plan (MAP) for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship." Membership in NATO's MAP can last for decades, and before full membership in NATO is awarded, territorial disputes with Russia would have to be worked out. This Summer, NATO deferred even MAP membership for Georgia.

Thinking about how a candidate's casual comment on the possibility of war with Russia plays out in Russia or other countries makes me a little nervous, but then again everyone in the race seems to have Georgia and a NATO relationship on their minds.

Source

Real Bullets Used in French Military Demonstration Injuring 17

LibertySugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:15:22 -0700

The French military accidentally used real bullets instead of blanks, during a demonstration this weekend, injuring 17 people, including three children.

The demonstration, intended to showcase hostage-freeing techniques, left a 3-year-old child in critical condition. Chief Bernard Lemaire said the soldier who fired the real bullets has been detained, as the apparent accident has not been ruled out as a criminal act. French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited victims at the Carcassonne hospital and promised punishment for the negligence.

In other French military news - Sarkozy now must face critics who claim he exchanged French independence for American domination by deciding to bring France back under NATO's unified military command, 42 years after Charles de Gaulle pulled France out of full participation. The decision also raises questions about France's attitude toward a unified European Union military policy, separate from NATO.

Should Europe embrace NATO as its military future or pursue an America-free defense policy? As for the bullet incident, I hope the victims in critical condition pull through and the cause of the accident is avoided in the future.
Source

Front Page: Attack Threatens Cease-fire, Clinton Back to Work, Germany Sending More Troops

CitizenSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:56:44 -0700

Attack Threatens Cease-fire: Two Palestinian rockets struck southern Israel moments ago, prompting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office says the week-old cease-fire has been broken. The first rockets fired since the truce hit an open area leaving no injuries. As of yet, there has been no word as to how Israel will react, nor any claims of responsibility. The attack occurred hours after Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in a West Bank raid. Though the West Bank is not formally included in the Gaza truce, the Israeli raid could be perceived as violating the spirit of the cease-fire.

Clinton Back to Work: US Senator Hillary Clinton is heading back to work today, a return to congressional politics for the first time since conceding to Obama nearly three weeks ago. Her return to the chamber today comes before her first joint appearances with White House contender Barack Obama, expected later this week. On Sunday, Clinton told a high-school graduating class in New York that meeting thousands of people across the nation during her primary campaign had been an "extraordinary experience."
Germany Sending More Troops: Germany is preparing to send 1,000 more soldiers to serve with the NATO-led peace-keeping force in Afghanistan. The US urged Germany to send more troops in February, and NATO allies have pushed for a boost in deployment to southern Afghanistan, the heart of the Taliban insurgency. Most of Germany's 3,500 troops are already based in northern Afghanistan and around the capital, Kabul. The UN has just announced that the Taliban made an about $100 million in 2007 from Afghan farmers growing poppy for the opium trade, producing about 8,000 tons of opium.

Front Page: Baghdad Blast Kills 51, Operation Launched Against Taliban, Bush and Offshore Drilling

CitizenSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:00:30 -0700

Baghdad Blast Kills 51: An enormous car bombing shattered part of a busy marketplace and set a crowded apartment building alight in a heavily Shiite district of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 51 people and wounding 75. As the blast occurred in the midst of a neighborhood where Sunnis had been savagely driven out, some of locals blamed the displaced Sunnis for the attack. The bombing was the deadliest attack in 3 months. One man whose wife and child were killed in the blast sceamed, “now the Americans are bringing outsiders to secure our neighborhood, and look what happened! Maybe we should bring back the old days.”

Operation Launched Against Taliban: NATO and Afghan forces begun a joint operation to drive Taliban insurgents from the outskirts of the city of Kandahar. Amid conflicting reports of casualties, troops backed by helicopter gunships are patrolling west of the Arghandab river, revealing "no major incidents so far". One resident says of the patrols, "most of the roads have been closed, there are check posts everywhere, planes are flying and military convoys belonging to the Afghan and foreign forces are patrolling the city." Last Friday about 350 Taliban fighters escaped with a total of 1,200 inmates from a jail in Kandahar. Only a handful of prisoners have been recaptured.
Bush and Offshore Drilling: President Bush will call on Congress today to reverse a long standing federal ban on offshore oil drilling. Bush wants to work with states to determine where drilling should occur. The move demonstrates how $4-a-gallon gas will be a major issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, and a growing number of Republicans are lining up in opposition to the federal ban. The Congressional moratorium on offshore drilling was first enacted in 1982, and has been renewed every year since. It prohibits oil and gas leasing on most of the outer continental shelf, 3 miles to 200 miles offshore.

Front Page: Osama bin Laden Fine, Mugabe, Missile Defense

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:08 -0700

Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, says Osama bin Laden is alive and doing very well in a recording just released. In the 104-minute recording posted on the Internet, al-Zawahri said, “Sheik Osama bin Laden is in good health. The ill-intentioned always try to circulate false reports about him being sick.” He then went on to call the UN an enemy of Islam and promised more attacks saying, "we promise our Muslim brothers that we will do our utmost to strike Jews in Israel and abroad with help and guidance from God.” As a finale to the piece, he defended al-Qaeda's mission saying, “We do not kill the innocent. We fight those who kill the innocent - the Americans, the Jews, the Russians, the French and their agents.”

In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe says that he's ready to compete in a runoff election. This statement comes after the opposition candidate has declared victory and the opposition party has squeaked out a win of more parliamentary seats - though the official results showed that Mugabe's party won the popular vote. Independent counts are showing that the opposition candidate may indeed have won, 49 percent to Mugabe's 42 percent, but unless a candidate wins over 50 percent, a runoff is needed. The deputy information minister said, "President Mugabe is going to fight to the last, and he's not giving up, he's not going anywhere, he hasn't lost the election."
Amid debates over Afghanistan at the NATO summit, President Bush has won support for his plan to build a missile defense system in Europe, despite Russian objections. The plan adopted states, ''ballistic missile proliferation poses an increasing threat to allied forces, territory and populations," and mentions the protection of allies to be provided by a US-led system. Bush however lost his appeal for the Ukraine and Georgia to be granted membership due to a block by Greece. Albania and Croatia were extended invitations to join.

Front Page: More Troops for Afghanistan, Pelosi Calls for Boycott, UK Troop Reductions Stalled

CitizenSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:54:03 -0700

President Bush asked NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan in a speech delivered before a big NATO summit. Bush quoted Sarkozy saying, "As [French] President Sarkozy put it in London last week, we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan. Whatever the cost, however difficult, we cannot afford it, we must win. If we do not defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan, we will face them on our soil." NATO-led forces currently number 47,000 troops. France has already answered the call for more - Prime Minister Francois Fillon said that his country would send several hundred more troops.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is calling for President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Pelosi has just returned from a visit with the Dalai Lama. She said, “the president of the United States, if he is going to give credibility to the Chinese government, he should also take the time to say to them we are very concerned, not only about human rights, which are a very important value to us, but we are also concerned about our trade situation.” Pelosi says a high profile boycott of the opening will send a message without affecting the games. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already announced she will be skipping the ceremony.
British Prime Minister Gordon Browne announced the draw-down of British troops from Iraq will be postponed given the recent violence in Basra. The plan was to reduce the number of troops from 4,000 to 2,500 this spring. Browne said, "In the light of the last week's events, however, it is prudent that we pause any further reductions while the current situation is unfolding. It is absolutely right that military commanders review plans when conditions on the ground change."

Front Page: Cheney in Afghanistan, Germany Limits Spying, McCain in the UK

CitizenSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:03:29 -0700

Vice President Dick Cheney visited Afghanistan today to meet with President Hamid Karzai. The visit is in anticipation of a NATO summit where Washington is expected to urge its allies to send more troops to the troubled country. The NATO-led force has about 43,000 troops in Afghanistan, charged with fighting Taliban militants. The militants have regrouped since US and Afghan forces removed the hardline Islamist movement from power after the September 11, 2001 attacks. They relaunched their insurgency two years ago. Cheney said of the need for troops, "all free nations have an interest in a secure, democratic Afghanistan."

Germany's highest court has restricted an anti-terrorism law making telecom companies store private data for six months. Uner the new ruling data may still be kept but is only to be accessed during investigations into serious crime. The original ruling was a result of the discovery of a number of alleged terrorism plots in Germany in recent years. The case was spurred by a class-action suit against the original ruling filed by 30,000 people. The German court's decision comes amid US debates over FISA and telecom rights.
Senator John McCain met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today to discuss Iraq, the world economy and climate change. Addressing the fact that Brown hopes to cut British troops near Basra from 4,000 to 2,500 soon, McCain said, "having just come from Iraq, I can tell you unequivocally that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year. Iraqi people are going about their normal lives, but the fact is al Qaeda is on the run. They are not defeated." He added, "We appreciate enormously the long service and sacrifice of the British men and women in the military both in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Definition: NATO

LibertySugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) addresses the common security concerns of its 26 member countries from North America and Europe. Created in 1949, to combat the spread of communism in Europe, NATO has a defensive purpose. All decisions are made by consensus, meaning all countries must unanimously agree before NATO takes action. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO faced a bit of an identity crisis.

NATO's mission in Afghanistan marked the first time ever NATO took action outside of the Euro-Atlantic area. There are currently 50,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, working toward security and stability. NATO had no part in the Iraq invasion, but since August 2004, it has been active in training Iraqi security forces. In Kosovo, NATO leads 15,000 international forces. Its UN-mandated presences, intended to maintain Kosovo's security, will be tested by Kosovo's recent declaration of independence and the Serbian response.

Since the end of the Cold War, former communist countries, as well as ex-republics of the Soviet Union have joined NATO. The swallowing of countries formerly under Russia's influence troubles Putin and may cause Russia to obstruct US policy going forward. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security council, may make it difficult for the US to do what it wants with Iran, for example.

For some useful sources on NATO, read more.

NY Times NATO Topics Page - The New York Times
NATO Time Line - BBC News
NATO Home Page
Source