Europe Archive

So here’s a question. How long before the growing European outrage over the American financial crisis plays a role in the debate over European troop presence in Afghanistan? I’ve already written about the French army’s barely concealed resentment over the lack of equipment and preparation for their recently deployed reinforcements. Now comes news that a Dutch platoon serving in Afghanistan has been suspended for directly refusing an order, with the Dutch Defense Minsitry confirming the incident took place but withholding further comment. Now, this kind of incident might just be the result of internal tensions between a unit and its […]

Apparently, not only are Russian forces protecting South Ossetai and Abkhazia from aggression, they’re also protecting the EU observer mission that deploys today: “To some extent EU officials are frightened by the very mechanism of the transfer of power, as well as by how they can keep the situation in the region under control,” [Russian general Anatoly Nogovitsyn] told Interfax on Tuesday. “They requested that Russians ensure their security there.” Seriously, though, the mission is taking gradual control of the buffer zones around the two provinces, in advance of Russia fulfilling its promised withdrawal from Georgian territory by Oct. 10. […]