Daily Archives: June 29, 2017

One of US President Donald Trump'srepetitive complaints about NATO was that the military alliancewasn't addressing what he considers the major threat facing the world: terrorism. In an evolution that was already underway, but quickened underthe harsh glare from Washington, the alliance has repackagedsome of its activities and taken new steps to maximize its counterterrorism contributions.

Traditionally, counterterrorism was not in NATO's job description. But neither was figuring out how to deal with "little green men" [masked, unmarked, and green-cladsoliders in the 2014 Ukraine crisis] or internet trolls. The alliance is evolving to respond not only togenuine new and hybrid threats, but also topublicexpectations of its role as a security provider.

NATO's new role

That NATO must take on un-envisioned roles isjust the way it is, explained Bruno Lete, a transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund's Brussels office.

"NATO member states recognize this is not NATO's core business," he said. "Nevertheless the reality of today's threats require the alliance to think more creatively [about]how it can engage in this field as well, so I think it's positive that NATO tries to play a helpful role in counterterrorism, even if its contribution concerns mainly indirect measures."

The alliance has indeed made a dramatic shift in just the last couple of years. The most obvious example is in its approach to the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS [the US government's favoredacronym for the "Islamic State"].

In 2014, when the multinational coalitionwas created, some NATO allies were uncomfortable with the mere fact that the alliance'sheadquarters would beused for a coalition meeting. Germany in particular insisted that there would be no NATO connection to the effort; no NATO logos allowed in any media coverage,which was kept minimal. NATO officials explained repeatedly in the following yearsthat there was no "need" to join the coalition itself since all allies already belonged.

Not only that, NATO would remind everyone thatit was fully engaged leadingthe ongoing counterterrorism effort known as thewar in Afghanistan. NATO troops and partners are still going head-to-head with the Taliban and the relatively newly arrived IS fighters, andmore troops are still needed.

But with the added pressure from the Trump administration bearing down on NATO, arguments against joining the coalition were ultimately outweighed by the practical and political advantages, andlast month the alliance finally slid into a seat of its own at the coalition table.

Speaking on Wednesday, the day beforea defense ministerial meetings, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg touted the decision. "This not only sends a strong message of unity in the fight against terrorism," he said, "it also serves as a platform for practical cooperation. NATO is now fully integrated into the information-sharing and decision-making structures of the coalition." NATO had already agreed to a US request to make more use of the one AWACS aircraft allocated to coalition surveillance efforts.

Stoltenberg was also able to announce the activation of a new "Terrorism Intelligence Cell" within the recently created Intelligence Division that will help coordinate information and activities among allies. Other measures cited as counterterrorism contributions include expanded training of Iraqi forces andsoon-to-comeassistance for the UN-recognized Libyan government.

Daniel Keohane, a senior esearcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, says the steps are mostly cosmetic. "Part of this is NATO adapting to Trump, showing its worth on his priority issue of defeating ISIS," Keohane told DW. "It gives the new US president an easy political win to sell at home: 'see I got NATO to do more to fight ISIS'. But I don't yet see how this will greatly change how the allies are fighting ISIS outside of Europe."

Public insecurity about -- and US focus on -- the Islamic State has led NATO to include more counter-terrorism measures among its activities.

When it comes to fighting terrorism on its own territory, which is instinctively the priority of citizens in allied countries, the hurdles are also high for NATO to provide true added value. European governments are notoriously reluctant to share intelligence with each other, especially on issues as sensitive as terrorism, and do so almost exclusively bilaterally. Such issues remain in the hands of national governments, and within them, with police and security forces and the judicial branch.

Jan Techau, director of the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum for the Study of Diplomacy and Governance at the American Academy in Berlin, says the new counter-terrorism initiative are not entirely pointless but neither will they be particularly effective. His bigger point is that counter-terrorism should not be confused with NATO's core task of providing stability, nor should resources, including time and attention, be diverted to it.

"We should be debating other strategic issues including transatlantic solidarity," Techau told DW."We should not be discussing turning NATO into the primary agency for fighting terrorism,"

Techau says for NATO territory to truly be secure, innovations such as a new intelligence coordination cell inside alliance HQ won't help. "Transatlantic security ultimately is decided in the White House," he said. "And and so as long as there is lingering doubt about whether the person occupying the White House is fully dedicated to it or not, as long as that risk is still kind of looming in the background we do have at least a lingering crisis if not a real one."

Pew Research Center statistics from a poll taken this week shows high levels of doubt in the Trump Administration from NATO nations and beyond.

But perhaps theTrump pressure has helped the alliance in other ways. A separate Pew survey shows opinions of NATO have sharply risen on both sides of the Atlantic.

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NATO: We will do more to fight terrorism - Deutsche Welle

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

NATO Announces Deployment of More Troops to Afghanistan Wall Street Journal (subscription) BRUSSELSThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced Thursday it would send additional forces to Afghanistan, as European officials said they would press the visiting U.S. defense secretary for details on Washington's strategy to curb the rising ... and more »

Originally posted here:
NATO Announces Deployment of More Troops to Afghanistan - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down by 0.5 percent, with the majority of sectors in the red. The euro continued to rise, trading at $1.1405 after the greenback dipped in U.S. trade as investors sensed that tightening monetary policy could soon extend beyond the U.S. to Europe and Canada.

Basic resources was the top performing sector, after banks, up 0.9 percent. Rio Tinto moved up 2.8 percent on the European benchmark after shareholders agreed a $2.69 billion coal assets sale to China-backed Yancoal.

HSBC, however, was in the top 2 of the European benchmark after Morgan Stanley raised its rating to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight', saying Brexit fears were overplayed and forecasting a capital surplus. The stock rose 4.9 percent to a 4-year high.

The stock was additionally buoyed by a wider rally in banking stocks after the Federal Reserve agreed to give the 34 largest U.S. banks the green light for buyback plans. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank and Barclays were all up more than 2 percent. Insurance firms also moved higher.

Furthermore, shares of DS Smith rose nearly 6 percent hitting the top of the European benchmark after reports that its buying 80 percent of Interstate Resources.

Meanwhile, U.S. markets opened mostly higher after the Federal Reserve cleared capital returns programs for the big banks.

More:
European markets mixed as miners, banks rally; euro jumps; NATO meeting eyed - CNBC

Defense Secretary James Mattis accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of making international mischief and reassured allies that the US commitment to NATO is resolute, according to a report on Wednesday.

Saying Russia is challenging the secure and peaceful post-war order, Mattis said Putins making mischief beyond Russian borders will not restore their fortunes or rekindle their hope, apparently referring to the Kremlins meddling in the 2016 presidential election and its involvement in Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday.

Mattis, a former four-star Marine Corps general, made the comments during an address to German students on the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II. It was his fourth trip to Germany since becoming defense secretary.

He also said the US commitment to Article 5 of the NATO alliance, which says an attack on one member is an attack on all members, is iron-clad.

Mattis highlighted President Trumps request for an increase in the European Reassurance Initiative, a program to improve the readiness of forces in Europe, to $4.8 billion this year from $3.4 billion last year.

Beyond any words in the newspapers, you can judge America by such actions, Mattis said.

He reassured NATO members after some began distancing themselves from the US after Trump during a summit in May lectured them for not paying their fair share for military protection and failed to fully endorse Article 5.

Read the original here:
Mattis accuses Putin of 'mischief,' reaffirms US commitment to NATO - New York Post

This editorial appears on Bloomberg View.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has now formally enlisted in the fight against Islamic State. It can begin by helping to stem the flow of refugees trying to reach Europe from North Africa.

This would be more than a humanitarian exercise; it would be a counterterrorism operation. Wherever refugees gather in hopelessness, violent extremists have a fertile recruiting ground. And the number of refugees is staggering.

Nearly 200,000 people fleeing violence and poverty tried to cross the Mediterranean last year, and at least 5,000 died in the attempt. The U.N. estimates that there are more than half a million refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people in Libya alone. Neither the fractured Libyan government nor the European Union can cope with the numbers, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in makeshift refugee camps some of which are controlled by human traffickers and resemble concentration camps, according to a German government report.

Those who make it across the Mediterranean don't fare much better. Most end up in overcrowded camps in Italy where social services are lacking and applications for asylum languish. Those intercepted in Libyan waters are sent back. Sometimes the traffickers dump their human cargo in the sea to avoid capture.

So what can NATO do? With more than 700 ships at its disposal, a lot.

For starters, it can build on Italian-led Operation Sophia, which has saved thousands of lives but is woefully inadequate to the task. NATO's sophisticated surveillance capabilities, such as long-range patrol airplanes and satellite imagery, can monitor ports in Africa and the Middle East and aid in search-and-rescue efforts. NATO can also help the EU's efforts to professionalize the Libyan coast guard.

The alliance can foster far more naval cooperation and intelligence sharing among its members, and with intergovernmental entities like Interpol. This should also involve another underutilized asset: private shipping companies, which are obligated to respond to other vessels in distress. NATO could also encourage member states to build more camps on Mediterranean islands and could aid with construction, perimeter security, health care and the like.

NATO patrols in the Mediterranean could also provide a more direct benefit in the fight against terrorists: stemming the flow of arms from the Middle East to Islamist terrorists in North Africa. Islamic State already has a foothold in Libya and is trying to expand into Tunisia.

Two years ago, the civil war in Syria caused the exodus of millions, which set off a political crisis from Greece to the U.K. and created a lasting rift between Turkey and its NATO allies. That time, the alliance watched from the sidelines. Now, as fighting intensifies and conditions deteriorate in Syria, NATO can't afford to make the same mistake.

Read the rest here:
Editorial Roundup: NATO can fight terrorism, one sinking boat at a time - SouthCoastToday.com

ERR News

How much of a threat does Russia pose, and to whom? BBC News Nato defence ministers are reviewing progress in what's known as the alliance's "enhanced forward presence" - its deployment of troops eastwards to reassure worried allies, and deter any Russian move west. Nato has dispatched four battalion-sized ... NATO chief: Military activity has increased in Baltic Sea regionERR News Poland signs declaration on 'battle ready' NATO eastern flankthenews.pl Most NATO, Russia Interceptions in Baltics Carried Out Professionally - NATOSputnik International all 9 news articles »

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How much of a threat does Russia pose, and to whom? - BBC News