Did BLACKSEAFOR Ever Have a Chance?
At the operational level, the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group has been relatively successful. Nevertheless, the goal to serve as a security confidence building mechanism never had a chance to succeed given the nature of the region’s geopolitics.
No Help is Coming: The Syrian-Turkish Strategic Quagmire
With numerous strategic pitfalls to intervention in Syria, there is little chance that Article V will be invoked by Turkey to bring in a NATO intervention force.
Turkey, the Balance of Power, and the Risks of Article V
Unless there is some sort of extraordinary aggression taken by the Assad regime towards Turkey, NATO’s role should remain focused on harshly worded joint statements and nothing more. Article V invocation would be an overreaction.
NATO’s Implementation of UN SCR 1325
NATO has utilised UN SCR 1325 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ as a tool to justify advocating increasing women in the military in order to counter manpower shortages.
NATO in Afghanistan: There and Back Again
By invading Afghanistan, NATO took both political and moral responsibility for its future. It is possible that, at the end of the transition process, NATO will fail its test of responsibility
NATO’s Chicago Summit: A Snapshot of the Alliance’s Slow-motion Overhaul
NATO’s recent Chicago Summit produced no truly historical decisions. It did what was required to keep the Alliance’s slow-motion overhaul on track, focusing on taking forward a “responsible” transition in Afghanistan and the cause of “smart” defence back home.
NATO and Afghanistan: Lessons Learned?
At present, the NATO mission in Afghanistan is a failure. Though the Taliban regime was overthrown, violence continues to plague daily life across the country.
Russia’s Foreign Policy in Kosovo
Russia’s Balkans strategy is one of deterrence. It will maintain a high-profile denial of Kosovo’s independence and attempt to block the new nation from the international stage.
Rebalancing Priorities: America, Europe, and Defence Austerity
Faced with fiscal pressures at home and rising powers elsewhere, the US is reducing its troop presence in Europe. The interests of European security can be best served by Britain and France developing a stronger joint expeditionary capacity.
Syrians Are Paying the Price of NATO Excesses in Libya
The China–Russia veto does not prove the irrelevance of the UN Security Council. Rather, it proves that the politics of the Security Council must be got right before an R2P military intervention; and the political equilibrium should be maintained during the operation.
