by Transatlantic Task Force | May 22, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security
The 179th Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence (CHODs) Session (MC/CS) convened on 16 May 2018 for the first time at the new NATO Headquarters in Brussels. General Petr Pavel, who has been serving as the Chairman of the Military Committee (CMC) since 2015...
by Transatlantic Task Force | May 14, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security
Following the conclusion of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation, Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed full security responsibility of their country. Despite enormous efforts including spending more than $ 70 bn...
by Anne Speckhard | May 5, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security, Fighting Organised Crime and Terrorism
A recent PBS series highlighted the case of an American mother, Samantha Elhassani, who took her two American children into the so-called Islamic State and had two more babies there with her Moroccan husband, who became a member of ISIS. Her two eldest children, now...
by Transatlantic Task Force | May 1, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security
NATO’s foreign ministers met on 27 April 2018 for the last time at the old NATO Headquaters as part of the preparations for the biennial NATO Summit to be held in July this year in Brussels. Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Western Balkans were...
by Steven Blockmans* | Apr 23, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security, Geopolitics & Great Power Politics
In the theatrical style of a capricious reality-TV host, US President Donald Trump has been building up suspense over an American withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He has consistently called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — which was...
by Tom Peeters | Apr 21, 2018 | Commentary, Defence & Security, Geopolitics & Great Power Politics
United Kingdom (UK) voters have chosen to leave the European Union (EU) with the historic referendum on June 2016. As the countdown continues for the set date of 29 March 2019, there has been no deal in the negotiations yet, and it seems like a win-win deal is far...