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Poland's loyalty to US a one-way street? 10.07.2008 The Poles feel that their country is not perceived as an equal partner by the Americans in terms of politics, which translates to waning enthusiasm for the United States. By Aleksander Kropiwnicki Do Poles still love America? According to some publicists, their attitude to the US is definitely getting less enthusiastic. Warsaw still wants to see America as its partner but not a Big Brother. Poland has never been rewarded for its assistance in Iraq. Washington is reluctant to help significantly in modernising the Polish army, even though it’s keen to situate...

Last week’s daring rescue of 15 Colombian hostages held by the Marxist FARC has been universally hailed as a triumph of military strategy. But at least one group besides the gulled guerilla jailers looks diminished in its aftermath: Congressional Democrats. While Colombia’s military will rightly reap praise for the rescue, the operation was in no small measure an American achievement. In addition to U.S. satellite intelligence that pinpointed the FARC guerillas’ jungle location, Colombian security forces have benefited from $4 billion in American aid since 2002. For this assistance – so vital in last week’s events – Colombia does not...

THE former high school of a Gold Coast soldier killed by a roadside bombing in Afghanistan has remembered him as a vibrant young man with a great sense of humour. Signaller Sean McCarthy, 25, was killed yesterday. Signaller McCarthy was born in New Zealand but was raised on the Gold Coast. He attended Trinity Lutheran College, Ashmore, before joining the ADF in 2001. His various postings before joining the SAS last year included a spell in Toowoomba. He is the sixth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002 and the second this year. McCarthy's old high school today paid...

Defence Minister: Poland not 51st US state Created: 23.06.2008 12:30 Poland’s Defence Minister Bogdan Klich has expressed outrage at an article in The New York Times alleging that “Poland has been the 51st state” of the USA acting as host to a secret CIA prison for terrorists. "That is unacceptable. The sheer fact that we are in tough negotiations with the Americans regarding the anti-missile defence shield suggests that we are indeed an independent state,” Minister Klich said on Radio ZET, Monday morning. The Saturday issue of The New York Times reopened the topic of the secret prison camp for...

Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe isolated as allies turn their backs By Louis Weston and Peta Thornycroft in Harare Last Updated: 7:48PM BST 24/06/2008 Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has sunk deeper into isolation as African leaders turned against him and called for South African President Thabo Mbeki, his most important protector, to do the same. The leaders of Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and Angola have all turned their backs on President Mugabe The Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade and Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa's ruling ANC, called for the presidential election on Friday to be postponed following the withdrawal of Mr Mugabe's rival,...

France will leave Britain alone in Europe's military "premier league" if President Nicolas Sarkozy's defence reforms go through, a group of senior officers has warned. In an anonymous letter, the officers from across the armed services slammed France's new defence doctrine, outlined by Mr Sarkozy this week, which calls for 54,000 military and civilian defence job cuts in return for investment in intelligence and hi-tech equipment. "We are abandoning European military leadership to the British, when we know their particular relationship with the United States," wrote the group calling itself Surcouf – the name of a legendary French corsair who...

There were questions surrounding Gordon Brown when he became Great Britain's Prime Minister. Taking office with echoes of "lap dog" following his predecessor Tony Blair, many wondered just how committed Brown would be to the "Special Relationship" between the US and Great Britain and whether he would initiate a more independent course in foreign affairs. Brown may yet eschew supporting the US on many issues. But on increasing sanctions on Iran and sending additional troops to Afghanistan - two things the US devoutly wished Brown would accede to - the British Prime Minister has come through.....

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2008 – The United Kingdom will increase the number of troops it contributes to the coalition effort in Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced today. Brown made the announcement during a joint news conference with President Bush in London. The two leaders also discussed a range of issues, including Iraq and Iran. “We have resolved, first of all, as we did some years ago, that it is in the British national interest to confront the Taliban in Afghanistan or Afghanistan would come to us,” Brown said. “And so today, Britain will announce additional troops for...

Despite flaws, George W Bush is a loyal friend 06/16/08 When President Bush began his valedictory tour of Europe, we commented that he would be received correctly rather than warmly. Still, it would be churlish not to bid him welcome in his final presidential visit to London. He might not have been the easiest of allies, but an ally he has been. Anyone could compile a list of grievances: the steel tariff, the budget deficit, the reluctance to negotiate reciprocity in the US-UK extradition agreement, the calamities that befell Iraq after the invasion, the deaths of British servicemen in friendly...

More British troops are to be sent to Afghanistan, the Government will announce next week. The Daily Telegraph has learned that reinforcements are being deployed as British forces face fierce resistance from the Taliban and doubts grow about the West's strategy in Afghanistan. Five men from the Parachute Regiment have been killed in Afghanistan this week, taking the British death toll in the country to 102. Britain has 7,800 troops in Afghanistan and Des Browne, the defence secretary, will tell MPs on Monday that at least 200 more are being deployed. Article continues advertisement The increase will take British numbers...

Over the past two years, there has been a noticeable shift in European politics toward the center and right of the political spectrum. It began with conservative electoral victories in Germany and Poland in 2005, and was followed by similar electoral results in Sweden in 2006 and in Finland and France in 2007. This shift has led to a European political environment that is much more amenable to partnering with the United States to address mutual foreign policy challenges. Prior to 2005, European foreign policy efforts were led by France under President Jacques Chirac, a Gaullist who worked tirelessly to...

President Bush heralded a “new era of transatlantic unity” when he arrived in France yesterday, with the location of his speech as significant as its content. By choosing Paris for what White House officials described as “the centrepiece” of his week-long farewell trip to Europe, Mr Bush sought to put the seal on a dramatic transformation in relations with France since President Sarkozy was elected last year. Britain, which for so long has acted as a sometimes rickety bridge across the Atlantic, no longer has such strategic diplomatic importance. President Bush is spending two nights in Paris, but only one...

President Bush heralded a “new era of transatlantic unity” when he arrived in France yesterday, with the location of his speech as significant as its content. By choosing Paris for what White House officials described as “the centrepiece” of his week-long farewell trip to Europe, Mr Bush sought to put the seal on a dramatic transformation in relations with France since President Sarkozy was elected last year. Britain, which for so long has acted as a sometimes rickety bridge across the Atlantic, no longer has such strategic diplomatic importance. President Bush is spending two nights in Paris, but only one...

Iran, Iraq and other hot spots topped discussions between U.S. President George Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Thursday in Rome. "We did have a wideranging discussion," Bush said during a news conference. "I appreciate very much the fact that Italy is meeting international obligations." Bush noted that U.S. citizens probably didn't realize how many Italian troops were deployed around the world, including 8,700 troops in areas such as Kosovo and Chad. "We talked about Iraq, how Iraq is changing for the better, how people are beginning to realize the blessings of a free and peaceful society," Bush said,...

Italy has hitched its wagon to the forthcoming French presidency of the European Union, declaring a new trade “axis” to push their case within the World Trade Organisation. Diplomats on Wednesday said a stronger protectionist stance against China, India and other developing countries was emerging under Italy’s new centre-right government. Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, views Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, as an economic and security ally. In return, Italy is strongly supporting Mr Sarkozy’s controversial proposals for a “Mediterranean Union” that will be formally launched next month when Paris takes over the EU presidency. Italy is also backing a...

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and fellow NATO defense ministers will discuss alliance operations in Afghanistan, the alliance missile defense program, and transition plans for Kosovo during a two-day ministerial beginning here today. The ministers will focus on how NATO nations are moving toward implementing decisions the member nations’ heads of state reached at the alliance’s April summit in Bucharest, Romania, a senior defense official speaking on background told reporters traveling with Gates. Afghanistan will dominate much of the conference, the official said. Gates will participate in meetings centered on NATO’s Regional Command South...

Italy has about 2,700 troops in Afghanistan but has so far -- like France, Germany and Spain -- been reluctant to send them to the south and east where the Taliban are most active. This has caused tension with the NATO command and Washington. Since coming to power in May, Berlusconi's government has talked of "limited" deployment to combat zones but Bush said he went further and talked of scrapping the so-called "caveat". "I appreciate very much the fact that the government announced to the parliament with your instructions, Mr Prime Minister, that the caveats that have restricted your forces...

OTTAWA -- Conservative and Liberal senators cast doubt Wednesday that Canada will be able to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 2011 as planned. The Senate's national security and defence committee also urged the government to ease its stance against negotiating with the Taliban, warning that the war could drag on for years without diplomatic intervention, although Conservative members of the panel opposed that position. "I don't think all the troops will be out of there in 2011," said Conservative Senator Michael Meighen, vice-chair of the committee, referring to parts of Afghanistan as "medieval." "I don't think there's any chance...

Asked about America's best friends in the world, Obama waxed on about NATO and our European allies before looking east to Japan. I'm not a foreign policy expert, but I've been around debates for decades and it was clear that Obama didn't get that this was the Israel question. He didn't get that people like me, voters and donors, were waiting to hear the word "Israel" in a way that Japanese Americans were not. Japan doesn't live under constant threats; Israel does. Japanese Americans don't worry about Japan's survival in the way Jewish Americans worry about Israel. Obama's answer, in...

War On Terror: Why are we catching terrorists, only to watch our Muslim-nation allies release them? The leniency looks a lot like betrayal, perhaps even state sponsorship of terrorism.After the 9/11 attacks, President Bush vowed to hold accountable any state that gives aid and comfort to terrorists. He also said not a single terrorist in the world would rest easy, that they'd be hunted down like the animals they are. "Every terrorist must be made to live as an international fugitive with no place to settle or organize," he said, "no place to hide, no governments to hide behind and...

BASRA — As 4 Mechanized Brigade's operational tour in southern Iraq draws to a close, the Brigade's Commanding Officer, Brigadier Julian Free, has been reflecting on the experiences of the last six months. The Brigade deployed to Basra in October 2007 as part of Operation Telic 11. During that time they have helped to oversee the transfer of Provincial Iraqi Control in Basra. They have also provided assistance to the Iraqi Security Forces for Operation Charge of the Knights, an initiative which has brought improved security in and around Basra City, as well as forming a number of Military Transition...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Salvadoran dignitaries and the American ambassador to El Salvador visited the Cuscatlan Battalion, rotation X, here to assess its mission and morale May 14 and 15. Division general and minister of national defense, Jorge Alberto Molina Contreras; chief of greater state assembly armed forces Eduardo Ernesto Mendoza Morales; and Ambassador Charles Glazer formed the official party for the visit. “This opportunity here is to be in contact with Coalition authorities to see the advancement of the … progress of the reconstruction of Iraq,” Contreras said. The primary tasks of this rotation have been reconstruction projects...

Two hundred years after the battle of Trafalgar, the navy could end up sharing the pride of its fleet with the French. Driven by spiralling budgets, the two navies began talks last week aimed at sharing their aircraft carriers. The government is expected to give the go-ahead for the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers this week, part of a joint Anglo-French project to build a total of three. The French, who currently have only one carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, are questioning whether they can afford a replacement and are keen to explore closer co-operation with Britain instead. “We...

5 years on, Iraq as an ally?Posted By Uncle Jimbo One of the themes that Pete Hegseth has been pointing out is that while Iraqis have killed many US service members, Iraq is not our enemy. As a matter of fact we need to start looking at them as a developing ally. The left, and far too many who have drunk the poison being published and broadcast, focus on the casualties in Iraq and the fact that we have been there for 5 years as the salient facts. Sadly no, those factors certainly matter but they fail to take a...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers stationed at Combat Outpost Cleary have been working closely with soldiers from Georgia as part of Task Force Petro. Task Force Petro is a combined effort involving the Georgian forces along with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, and the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to bring peace to Iraq and improve living conditions both on and off of COP Cleary. The 13th Georgian Light Infantry Battalion’s progress as a unit has been phenomenal, said Capt. Christopher Rehnberg, from Norfolk, Conn., a member of the liason team, 2nd BCT,...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has asked Congress for $20 million for military aid to Poland as it seeks to complete a missile defense deal. The administration wants to build a European missile shield that would include a radar installation in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptors in Poland. Officials have been trying to reach a deal with the two countries before President Bush leaves office in January. The U.S. is nearing a deal with Prague, but negotiations with Warsaw have lagged. The talks had been complicated by Poland's demand for help to upgrade its military in exchange for allowing...

Europeans have been hyperventilating over their self-perceived “victories” vis-à-vis the United States at the recent NATO Summit in Romania from April 2-4. “France and Germany Thwart Bush’s Plans,” ran a triumphant headline in the Hamburg-based Der Spiegel. “Europe Waits Out the Bush Administration,” read another. “Only One Lame Duck Here” said the London-based Guardian in commentary that waxes giddy about Russia’s growing stranglehold over Europe. “NATO Should Disappear” said the Madrid-based El Pais. But behind the spin, the 26-member NATO Summit (arguably the most important such gathering since the end of the Cold War) exposed a security-dependent Europe that is...

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – The United States will keep its current number of troops -- roughly 28,000 -- deployed to the Republic of Korea, President Bush said yesterday. During a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart President Lee Myung-Bak, Bush said the two leaders constantly assess the need for U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula, and both agree on the necessity of maintaining present levels there. “We reached an agreement to maintain the current U.S. troop level on the peninsula. This is a mutual agreement that benefits both our nations and will strengthen our alliance,” Bush...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The son of the new Dutch defense chief was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, and the Taliban claimed that they deliberately made him a high-profile victim of their deadly insurgency. Lt. Dennis van Uhm, 23, was one of two Dutch soldiers killed in the explosion 7 miles (12 kilometers) northwest of Camp Holland, the Dutch military base in restive Uruzgan province, spokesman Lt. Gen. Freek Meulman said. Two more soldiers were injured, one critically. Meulman was standing in for Gen. Peter van Uhm, who was installed as defense chief only on Thursday and...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The son of the Dutch defense chief was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, and the Taliban claimed they deliberately made the young lieutenant a high-profile target. While the Dutch quickly cast doubt on the Taliban claim, the death underscores the danger high-profile soldiers can face and illustrates a grim reality for families, famous and not, who choose the military life. Lt. Dennis van Uhm, 23, was one of two Dutch soldiers killed in the explosion seven miles northwest of Camp Holland, the Dutch military base in the restive southern province of Uruzgan. Two...

The son of the Netherlands’ top military officer was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan early this morning, one day after his father was made head of the Dutch armed forces. Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm, 23, was among two Dutch soldiers killed in the blast seven miles northwest of their military base, Camp Holland, in Uruzgan province, the Dutch defence ministry said. The second dead soldier was not fully identified but was said to be 22 years old. The military insisted today that there was nothing to suggest the commander’s son was deliberately targeted. However there were fears that...

Last Wednesday, a carefully negotiated trade deal with Colombia, which was repeatedly re-calibrated to account for Democratic labor and environmental concerns, was nonetheless killed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And in a most disgusting way – by unilaterally changing the House rules after the fact so the requirement of an up-or-down vote within 90 days of the president submitting the signed agreement to Congress could be avoided. It would have been one thing to simply vote it down, but that would put Congress on the record and in a position of culpability for the consequences, and we can't have that, now...

The Salvadoran Cuscatlán Battalion delivered $4 million in medical supplies to the al Kut Director General of Health Warehouse April 1. The supplies, donated by the International Red Cross, are for Iraqis affected by the recent upsurge in violence by criminals. The donated supplies will replenish what was used during the civil unrest in the city and will increase supplies on hand. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Niles. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The Salvadoran Cuscatlán Battalion delivered $4 million in medical supplies to the al Kut Director General of Health Warehouse April 1.“It is very important...

There has been a lot of negative talk on here about our allies, the British. There has evidently been a lot of negative talk in the UK about America as well. Despite all that, I still believe that Britain is among one or two countries in the world that the US can truly call a "friend" as well as an ally. Australia may be another. We do indeed have a "special relationship" and it would be tragic to see that end. Our two nations are the last, best hope for freedom and right in the world, and though we may...

Public Opinion: Most global surveys on image spotlight negative views of the U.S. But a new poll of U.S. perceptions of Britain shows a plunge. Since it's the U.K.'s turn under this microscope, we'll venture some reasons.First, it's no pleasure to see U.S. perceptions fall so precipitously for our oldest and closest ally — the one with whom we went through two World Wars and the Cold War, and in each simultaneously elected great leaders who rose to the occasion. But from a BBC World Service poll of 1,000 Americans, it's clear U.S. views of Britain have fallen sharply. The...

Unbefitting Behavior page 1 of 2 by TOL 4 April 2008 If NATO cannot pressure Greece to lift its childish blockade of Macedonia’s membership bid, the EU should. Amid the fanfare of an agreement over US missile defense plans and the rejected membership aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine, news on NATO’s Bucharest summit largely overlooked the fate of Macedonia – or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as the country has been ingloriously called since it joined the United Nations in 1993. While Albania and Croatia both received invitations to join the alliance, Macedonia was left waiting outside after...

MORE than 40 years since serving under the command of the US Air Force in Vietnam, members of the so-called Wallaby Squadron have finally been honoured at a ceremony in Canberra. A total of 128 USAF Air Medals were belatedly awarded to the Australian pilots and ground crew of the RAAF's 35 Squadron, in recognition of their efforts when they flew with the Americans during almost a decade of battle. They were the first RAAF operational unit sent to Vietnam in 1964, and the last to leave in 1972. Operating Caribou aircraft, the RAAF 35 Squadron, also dubbed Wallaby Airlines...

Dith Pran... used to say: "I'm not a hero - I'm a messenger." ...[He was] a tenacious survivor of the 1975-79 Cambodian holocaust, when the communist Khmer Rouge slaughtered 1 million people- nearly a third of the nation's population- while the world looked on. He devoted the rest of his life to telling the story- best known through the 1984 film "The Killing Fields." Dith, a translator-photographer for Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, remained behind after the fall of Phnom Penh to help report the Khmer Rouge takeover. But when Western journalists were forced to leave, Dith became a prisoner, spending...

My niece's husband is a trainee Baptist pastor. Jimbo's hip, friendly, and fun to be with. He's smart and theologically savvy. I like him. He loves Jesus and believes the Bible, and on most moral and doctrinal issues I can affirm what he affirms. We agree on a lot. But even when we agree, we don't see eye to eye. Somehow we seem to have reached our religious conclusions from different starting points and through different routes. A chapter in Mark Massa's book Anti-Catholicism in America illuminated the problem for me. Massa quotes an important theological work by David Tracy,...

Four decades after the Central Intelligence Agency hired thousands of jungle warriors to fight Communists on the western fringes of the Vietnam War, men who say they are veterans of that covert operation are isolated, hungry and periodically hunted by a Laotian Communist government still mistrustful of the men who sided with America. “If I surrender, I will be punished,” said Xang Yang, a wiry 58-year-old still capable of crawling nimbly through thick bamboo underbrush. “They will never forgive me. I cannot live outside the jungle because I am a former American soldier.”

Like pensions and insurance, defence is one of those subjects to which too many people only pay attention when things go wrong. You might think, in the light of the past decade, that this would have changed. But you would be sadly mistaken. Even today, even after Iraq, few mainstream MPs without an immediate personal or constituency interest in the subject turn up in the Commons for defence debates. Many politicians who are thoughtful about a range of domestic issues still pass by on the other side when the conversation gravitates to the military. In this they reflect the British...

LOS ANGELES - Republican John McCain on Wednesday called anew for the United States to work more collegially with democratic allies and live up to its duties as a world leader, drawing a sharp contrast to the past eight years under President Bush. "Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed," the likely presidential nominee said in a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. "We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of...

Australia drops threat to cancel US jet fighter contract The Associated Press Monday, March 17, 2008 CANBERRA, Australia: Australia's government Monday withdrew its threat to cancel a $4.6 billion contract to buy 24 U.S.-manufactured Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, after accusing the previous administration of entering the deal for political reasons. Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon announced the sale would go ahead after a review by Australian officials of the plane's capability. ... "The new government is satisfied that the Super Hornet is an aircraft with significant capability and more than capable of meeting all of Australia's defense needs," Fitzgibbon told...

WHEN Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, arrives in Britain this week, he will start the job of presenting a new face of America to Europe. “We need to do a better job on America’s image,” he said, citing the many differences he has had over the years with President George W Bush, from the conduct of the war in Iraq to the importance of climate change. Once he reaches British soil, he intends to adopt a more neutral tone. It is against diplomatic protocol to criticise your country abroad. In any case, McCain is grateful to Bush for...

NT soldiers bound for frontline REBEKAH CAVANAGH14Mar08 TERRITORY soldiers are to become Australia's first frontline troops since the Vietnam war. A squad of Darwin-based Diggers are being deployed to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.The 15 artillerymen from 8/12 Medium Regiment at Robertson Barracks will fight alongside British troops.The gunners will be based in the dangerous southern province of Helmand -- the same area where Prince Harry was serving before being sent home last month after his top-secret deployment was revealed by an Australian magazine.It will be the first time Australians have manned a gun line on operations since Vietnam...

JOHN Howard is earning tens of thousands of dollars each time he trumpets his former government's achievements to American audiences. The former PM yesterday continued his farewell speaking tour of the US with a speech at Harvard University. Celebrity publicist Max Markson said American organisations were being charged $50,000, plus travel and accommodation costs, to hear Mr Howard speak. He is represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau, which also has comedian John Cleese and former British PM Tony Blair on its books. Mr Markson said the speaking fees earned by Mr Howard in the US were reasonable, given his international...

... "The United States recognizes the need for Polish forces to be modernized," Bush told reporters. He said "before my watch is over" -- he leaves office in January 2009. ...

JOHN Howard has broken his post-election silence from the other side of the world, defending his ousted government and attacking his successor before an audience of leading US conservatives. The former prime minister was in Washington DC to receive a top conservative honour, and used the platform to say he was "disappointed" Australia was withdrawing combat troops from Iraq. He said now was not the time to abandon the Iraqi people, who needed space to capitalise on the advances made by the US troops' surge strategy in Baghdad. "It would be a tragedy if those gains were surrendered now by...

Bhanubhakta Gurung, VC Last Updated: 2:37am GMT 04/03/2008 Havildar Bhanubhakta Gurung, who has died aged 86, was awarded a VC when serving as a rifleman in the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in Burma on March 5 1945. At that time the Fourteenth Army was making a drive toward Mandalay in central Burma, and the task of the 25th Division (of which the 2nd Gurkhas were part) was to engage in diversionary action along the coastal sector of Arakan. The 3rd Battalion landed at Ru-Ywa and advanced to the high ground east of Tamandu. Capturing the area would...

Maj. Temuri Marakadze, a physician with the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, listens to a patient's lungs in the village of Abu Bukar. Fifty residents received medical care, Feb. 23. The Georgians conduct at least one medical operation at villages monthly. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Niles, Multi-National Division-Central. FOB DELTA — Soldiers from the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade are providing medical and humanitarian assistance to villages surrounding Coalition Force checkpoints in Wasit province. “We have a very good relationship between the villagers and the Coalition forces,� said Capt. Zaori Marakadze, 1st GB Civil Military Cooperation Team (CMCT) commander.During a...