European Expert Suggests "NATO for North Africa" (9/1)

A bold suggestion has emerged from the positive military outcome in Libya. Namely, Europe should be thinking long term about creating a "new NATO,” under European control  and called “North Africa Treaty Organization”--  to promote stability in the region that has recently turned so volatile. The author, Giles Merritt, a Brussels-based security expert, notes that Europe has the skills and experience (and enough military punch) to provide backbone for a regional organization on this scale. Its work could start with peacekeeping and nation-building in Libya. The idea sounds  constructive for North Africa and for Europe. But even if European leaders were able to unite on it, the initiative is bound to be a tough sell to the Arab League and the Arab governments that would be directly involved.

 

French Forces' Performance in Libyan Campaign Wins U.S. Military Respect (8/29)

The NATO-led operation in Libya has raised esteem for the French military and their capabilities among their American counterparts, according to this New York Times article reporting how French behavior in the Libyan operation has gained respect in the Pentagon.

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Dutch Voters Share German Reluctance to Subsidize Euro Laggards (8/18)

Germans are not the only European voters who are reluctant to make bigger commitments to bailing out their more profligate neighbors on the eurozone’s periphery. Rather than rescue Greece (and other debt-stricken partners), most Dutch (54 percent) would rather see these countries leave the euro, according to a current public-opinion survey (August 14) by Maurice de Hond, a leading Dutch pollster.

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Amid the Damage, DSK Criminal Case Set to End With Unanswered Questions (8/22)

If, as expected, the New York prosecutor drops all charges Dominique Strauss Kahn, the criminal case against him on rape charges will be closed – leaving many questions about what actually happened in the Sofitel incident involving the cleaning woman, Nafissatou Diallo.

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EU Stagnation Spurs French-German Bid for Fiscal Ties, Euro Governance (8/16)

Europe’s problems with some member states’ excessive debts is escalating into a crisis for the eurozone as a whole as economic growth drops below expectations even in the EU’s best-performing economies.
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