Baptism by Fire of Francois Hollande
The year of 2013 has started with an acute escalation of the situation in Mali. After a military coup in March 2012 the North of the country was captured by Toureg-separatists from the National Liberation Movement of Azawad (NLMA). Having used disorganization and weakness of governmental troops, the rebels proclaimed an independent state of Azawad along the territory, comparable in sizes with France. Already in summer 2012 contradictions between moderate separatists and radical Islamists among rebelled Toureg escalated. As a result the power was transferred to the Islamists from the groupings of Ansar al-Din (“Faith defenders”) and Al-Qaeda of Islamic Magrheb. READ MORE
Kazakh Foreign Minister met with NATO Secretary General
Kazakh Foreign Affairs Minister Yerlan Idrissov met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Brussels. READ MORE
Nuclear Weapons and War in 100 Years
What role will nuclear arms play in the long-term? And how will they affect future wars? Most likely, in 100 years’ time they will still be in the arsenals. In order to preserve international security, a two-pronged approach should be taken: extending the rigid limitations on military planning at all strategic levels and boosting the nontraditional arms race, primarily in cyber and space-based offensive and defensive systems. READ MORE
German report on arms exports reveals little
Critics says the government's report on arms exports lacks transparency: exporting companies are not named, and government sales are merely summarized. Yet the government claims it's in-depth and detailed. READ MORE
Can Obama rely on Europe?
Plagued by deep domestic problems, Barack Obama would love to outsource many international issues to the EU in his second term. The problem is no one knows whether Europe is up to the task. READ MORE
Georgian Defense Minister Unveils Plans to Create Entirely Professional Army, Compatible with NATO Forces
Minister of Defense and First Deputy Prime Minister Irakli Alasania, who does not conceal his plans to participate in the presidential elections in October 2013, revealed several important initiatives for reforming the Georgian army and future cooperation with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Alasania proposed switching to an all-contract service army by 2016. “No one needs to serve in the army against his will. On the contrary, the service should be prestigious and not accessible to all. Only people who received professional education and are prepared to give up their lives for their country must serve in the army,” the minister stated on January 7, in an interview with the Georgian paper Kviris Palitra. READ MORE
Cybercrime centre Chief: 'We will focus on criminal groups or networks who steal your money'
Troels Ørting is the head of the newly established European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol, the European law enforcement agency in The Hague. Ørting is a senior police chief from Denmark with more than 30 years’ experience in serious, organised international crime including cybercrime. As chief of the Danish equivalent of Serious Organised Crime Agency he also managed the Danish High Tech Crime Unit and developed the Danish early response to cybercrime. He spoke to EurActiv’s Jeremy Fleming. READ MORE
Mali Intervention Exposes Europe’s Security Shortcomings
Since the intervention in Libya in 2011, which highlighted strong dissensions between France and Germany in the conduct of military engagement, Europeans have been waiting for a new opportunity to prove they could unite around a common objective, away from Brussels and the near-constant series of crisis meetings. READ MORE
Smart defence or optimisation of security according to NATO
The concept of smart defence is quite new although its principles have been discussed for several years. Today smart defence could be considered as one of the main NATO‘s philosophies which will be pursued by the Alliance at least during the recent decade. READ MORE
