Topic: NATO

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Briefing
Top 3 reasons why Al Qaeda is more dangerous than ever

On the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, defense analysts say that there are plenty of reasons to think that a resurgence of the perniciously resourceful Al Qaeda is not out of the question.
Blast-off: 6 recent missile advances

Missiles have been prominent in the news with India’s successful test, North Korea’s failed one, and much talk of missile defense systems in Europe and the Persian Gulf. Here are six recent noteworthy missile-technology advances.
Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points

While Pakistani and Afghan insurgents often get labeled as the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups that often act independently and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies.
Brazil's President Rousseff meets with Obama: 5 topics for talks

As the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, Brazil and the US have a lot of shared interests, but there are still areas of contention. Here are 5 possible topics on today's presidential agenda:
Afghanistan: 5 areas of concern after the US leaves

The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan will have profound, direct effects on the country's security, economy, and society. Here are five areas that are likely to see an impact.

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Backchannels
The horror in Syria, the cold realities of international action

Syria's civil war is horrific, with most of the crimes committed by the Assad regime and its supporters. This may lead to moral clarity, but not necessarily to international military action.
UN sees significant drop in Afghan civilian casualties

Civilian casualties are down in Afghanistan, according to the UN. Analysts say this has to do with the a drop in insurgent attacks and may be a sign of better US-Afghan coordination.
Ambassador McFaul, driver of US-Russia 'reset,' becomes his own obstacle

US Ambassador Mike McFaul has been a Kremlin target since his arrival – most recently being slammed as 'unprofessional' and accused of spreading 'blatant falsehoods.'
Syrian massacre: diplomats expelled from Western nations

The US, Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria all expelled diplomats in response to revelations that more than a 100 people were brutally killed in Houla, Syria, by Assad strongmen.
Interview with Turkey's Abdullah Gul: Egypt should embrace secularism

In an interview, Turkey's President Abdullah Gul says that Egypt should embrace secularism based on a 'respect for all faiths;' that Russia's role in ending violence in Syria is key and Moscow needs to be engaged to act constructively; and that economic power in the world is shifting.
Memorial Day: Among post-9/11 veterans, deepening antiwar sentiment

This Memorial Day the Iraq war is over and the Afghanistan war is winding down, but they're weighing heavily on post-9/11 veterans, 33 percent of whom said they weren't worth the cost.
France's Afghanistan pull-out signals war fatigue driving European defense cuts

Disillusionment with warfare, coupled with economic troubles, has given European defense cuts strong momentum. But defense experts worry they are being made too haphazardly.
Pakistan jails CIA informant: US Senate panel votes to cut aid to Pakistan

A Senate committee voted on Thursday to cut Pakistan aid by $33 million – one million dollars for each year of a 33-year sentence Pakistan gave a doctor for helping the CIA track down Osama bin Laden.
Peace: the fiber of our being

A Christian Science perspective: How the protesters outside the NATO summit in Chicago inspired peace.
Keep Calm
Even if NATO rushes to the exits, Afghan collapse is not inevitable (+video)

As French President Hollande promises troop withdrawal this year, and the rest of NATO plans to exit by 2014, Afghanistan's best hope may be the disunity and ill-discipline of the Taliban.
Senate committee cuts Pakistan aid over doctor's conviction

After a Pakistani court sentenced the doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden to 33 years for treason, a US Senate panel voted Thursday to cut aid to Pakistan by $33 million.
Global News Blog
Russia claims new missile can overcome missile defenses

Russia says it conducted a successful test of a new missile that is meant to outwit the NATO antimissile shield and has a maximum range of 10,000 miles.
Global News Blog
Pakistan jails doctor who helped find bin Laden: why the US may not intervene

The doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in jail. But perhaps US-Pakistan relations have fallen so low that the US doesn't care anymore. 
Keep Calm
With Crocker's exit, a chance for a new approach to Afghanistan

Ambassador Ryan Crocker announced he is stepping down as the US ambassador to Afghanistan. 
Terrorism & Security
US drone strike in Pakistan highlights divergent interests of US, Pakistan

An end to the US drone campaign has been a key demand of Pakistan in exchange for reopening NATO supply routes, highlighting the differences the US and Pakistan have to overcome.
Pakistani doctor who helped US find Bin Laden is jailed

Physician Shakil Afridi was accused of operating a fake vaccination effort which aided US intelligence in tracking the late Al Qaeda leader.
Pakistani official: Position to soften on NATO supply line

An assistant to the Prime Minister says the country will show flexibility on the issue after NATO clearly expressed its displeasure in Chicago.
Two harrowing US military rescues offer haunting portrait of Afghan war

Rescue pilots in Afghanistan describe flying five to 10 combat missions a day, on constant alert. Describing one mission, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor last week, Col. Christopher Barnett says: 'It was like the Alamo.'
Decoder Wire
Cory Booker comments: How badly have they hurt President Obama? (+video)

Mayor Cory Booker was so far off-message about the Obama campaign that he couldn’t even see the Democratic Party message. With campaign surrogates like that, who needs election opponents?
Hollande's first world appearance a double success

Less than a week after taking office, French President François Hollande traveled to the G-8 and NATO summits to make his case for new economic policies and a French pullout from Afghanistan.
Keep Calm
Chicago NATO summit sets stage for Afghan withdrawal

With France set to leave at the end of 2012, and the rest of NATO out by 2014, the question is whether Afghanistan's own forces can meet the challenge.
Romney's record at Bain Capital is fair game, Obama says (+video)

President Obama's comments come a day after Newark Mayor Cory Booker, usually an Obama ally, criticized the Obama campaign's attacks on Mitt Romney's work in private equity.
NATO to shed combat command in Afghanistan by mid-2013 (+video)

NATO leaders on Monday approved a plan, promoted by the US, to shift the command of combat operations to Afghan forces by next summer. It's NATO's latest step in the transition out of a fighting role in the war.
US to Pakistan: reopen supply route and we can leave Afghanistan faster

The US and Pakistan have been unsuccessfully negotiating on reopening Pakistan’s border to NATO supply convoys for the Afghanistan campaign. The issue has been contentious at the NATO summit in Chicago.
Global News Blog
NATO: European missile shield 'provisionally operational'

If there is any issue that threatens to derail relations with Russia, it's the issue of missile defense.