Afghanistan pullout returns NATO focus to Europe

Bernd Riegert
5.9. 2014, Deutsche Welle (Germany)
“As it prepares to withdraw, NATO's nation-building mission in Afghanistan has - at least partially - failed. The alliance now requires a strategic rethink to address its next challenge.“

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Ukraine abandoned

Charles Krauthammer
4.9. 2014, The Washington Post (USA)
“The real news from Wales is what NATO did not do. It did not create the only serious deterrent to Russia: permanent bases in the Baltics and eastern Poland that would act as a tripwire. Tripwires produce automaticity. A Russian leader would know that any invading force would immediately encounter NATO troops, guaranteeing war with the West. Which is how we kept the peace in Europe through a half-century of Cold War. U.S. troops in West Germany could never have stopped a Russian invasion. But a Russian attack would have instantly brought America into a war — a war Russia could not countenance. It’s what keeps the peace in Korea today. Even the reckless North Korean leadership dares not cross the DMZ, because it would kill U.S. troops on its way to Seoul, triggering war with America. That’s what deterrence means. And what any rapid-reaction force cannot provide.“

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A United Front

Madeleine Albright
4.9.2014, Foreign Policy (USA)
“This lesson is crucial as we look at ways for the alliance to respond to the dual challenges on its eastern border and in the Middle East. It would be a betrayal of our common values to let Russia's illegal behavior pass and allow Putin and his government to lie about what they are doing. There should be a decision out of Cardiff for more robust partnership exercises in and around Ukraine. Lethal military equipment should be on offer, as well as enhanced intelligence and border security assistance. And we cannot forget about Kiev -- there are immense domestic challenges Ukraine's new government must tackle for the results of Maidan to hold. On a positive note, the IMF has voted to release more assistance for Ukraine. This trend must continue“

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We still need NATO in an increasingly dangerous world

Stephen Pollard
5.9. 2014, Daily Express (UK)
“It was the very idea of Nato membership that contributed to the removal this year of president Viktor Yanukovych, who was seen by the protesters as being a Russian puppet. Ukraine is one of eight Eastern European countries with a so-called Individual Partnership Action Plan, which signals membership is one day on the cards. This is like a red rag to a bull for Russia so don't be in any doubt that Nato still matters. But there's a problem with all this: any response to the problems requires leadership and that is a quality in very short supply.“

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'The NATO Show': Putin's favorite comedy?

David Rothkopf
5.9. 2014, CNN (USA)
“Then, as NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen rolls out what they call in the political biz "the big deliverable" of the summit -- a Readiness Action Plan that will make 4,000 troops available within two days of a Russian incursion into a member state -- one can only hope that Kremlin doctors are standing by, because Putin could injure himself laughing.“

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NATO not sure what to do with Ukraine, but unhappy with Russia

4.9. 2014, RIA Novosti (Russia)
“Although British PM David Cameron and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen have once more insisted that Russia poses a "threat" to its neighbors, the media source emphasizes that NATO is likely to give up on significantly increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe. Instead, they "will agree to pre-position equipment and supplies, such as fuel and ammunition" in the region in order to seamlessly organize a NATO offensive if necessary.“

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Nová (?) rychlá divize

Martin Koller
5.9. 2014, Novinky.cz (ČR)
“Odcházející generální tajemník NATO Rasmussen přednesl jednu z takzvaných novinek Aliance, kterou má být další specializovaná ozbrojená formace. Má se jednat o divizi sil rychlého nasazení. Zajímavé je, že pan Rasmussen jaksi přehlédl či zapomněl, že takových formací už má několik. Takže nic nového, pouze bojovná rétorika pro odborně neznalou veřejnost, takový militární balet.“

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Západ byl a zase bude ruský spojenec

Luboš Palata
5.9. 2014, MF Dnes, tištěné vydání (ČR)
“Západu byla nasazena psí hlava a je vydáván za div ne největší hrozbu pro dnešní Rusko, a to přesto, že si ruská elita na Západě kupuje domy, posílá tam děti na studia a v západních bankách má ukryty peníze napůl vydělané, napůl nakradené na ruském nerostném bohatství.“

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NATO Too Wary of Russian Threats to Let Ukraine Join

Simon Shuster
4.9. 2014, Time
“This kind of rhetoric was, perhaps thankfully, nowhere to be found during the first day of the NATO summit. Putin’s recent reminder that Russia is “one of the strongest nuclear powers” did not come up in any of the public comments, and neither did the warning from General Yakubov about a preventative strike. The most concrete step NATO announced in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine was the creation of a “very high readiness” force of several thousand troops that could be deployed near Russia’s borders in the course of about two days. (It took Russian forces no more than a day in late February to sweep into the capital of Crimea and help install a loyal government to prepare the annexation.)“

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Russia-Ukraine crisis moves NATO back toward its roots

Nic Robertson and Josh Levs
5.9. 2014, CNN (USA)
“The changes NATO needs to make are possible, says James Stavridis, a former Navy admiral who now serves as dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. "The capacity is there. It's a matter of re-gearing and doing... rotational deployments into bases in the east.“ "We'll have to exercise much more frequently," the former NATO secretary general, Scheffer, says of the alliance's troops. "We'll have to bring forces on the ground in Poland and in the Baltic region to show Vladimir Putin that NATO means serious business."