NATO: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

Posted: October 23, 2015 at 12:49 am

Marina Kaljurand is Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to becoming Foreign Minister in July 2015, she was a long-time Estonian diplomat, and an ambassador to the United States, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Kazakhstan and Israel.

From Syria to Ukraine, a pesky and newly reinvigorated Vladimir Putin is testing the west. In this new geopolitical face-off, Poland has assumed key strategic importance and will no doubt play a hugely significant diplomatic and even military role.

Nikolas Kozloff

Author, 'Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left'

In the hell of bad solutions on offer for Syria, some are worse than others. And the one devised by Russian President Vladimir Putin is probably the most infernal of all.

Recent developments confirm a major shift in the balance of power in the Middle East. It appears to me that Russia is dictating the pace of events, raising the question of whether Syria is becoming a proxy war between the United States and Russia.

Since Russian President Vladamir Putin began his military air campaign in Syria last week, Western media has been clamoring to explain his motivation. Most of the analysis so far has been incomplete or half-baked at best.

No one should have been surprised that Russia committed their military to the task of saving their ally in Syria from defeat. And no one should now be surprised if Saudi Arabia steps up its support for the Syrian opposition; or if the opposition attacks Russian forces in Syria.

James Zogby

President, Arab American Institute; author, 'Arab Voices'

The challenge of Putin as well as ISIS requires an answer beyond avoidance and containment. The threat is immediate but also the challenge to the rule of law and the ideology upon which free and democratic states have prospered as societies and economies over the last few decades.

Information warfare requires an infrastructure of broadcasting, social media, and other communication assets that can direct messages to the same audiences the Russians target, but do so more effectively.

Philip Seib

Professor, University of Southern California

LONDON -- The refugee crisis that dominates Europe's TVs and newspapers is the product of the horrendous civil war that still rages in Syria. Why will we not focus our attention on this? The reality in Syria is that the war creates the refugees. Do more to stop this war.

No doubt, the bombastic Donald is an unlikely president. Yet what may be most extraordinary about his campaign is that on foreign policy, at least, he may be the most sensible Republican in the race.

Turkey's offering Washington a fig leaf of cooperation against the Islamic State, but it's turning all its firepower against the most effective anti-ISIS fighters in the region -- the Kurds.

The challenge for the European Union and its member states, particularly Germany, is in balancing the often incongruous demands of co-operation and self-interest, and thus demonstrate to their own citizens that concrete achievements can still create a Europe of solidarity and prosperity as Schuman envisaged.

David Miles

Managing Editor of Global Politics, Carnegie Scholar, Associate Fellow at The Centre for Global Constitutionalism

As a Jew, Schumer is not allowed to "break ranks" and make up his own mind based on his clear thinking. In doing so, he is clearly an "Israel-firster" and a "Netanyahu marionette".

Shahar Azani

Executive Director of StandWithUs Northeast U.S, a Global Israel Education Organization. Former diplomat. Loves Israel. In love with Life.

The headlines on the talks between Brussels and Athens on the 86 billion euro bailout of Greece seem to indicate nothing but problems. It appears that even before talks can begin, Greece is being asked to enact further laws.

It was seventy years ago that human beings were first targeted with -- and annihilated by -- an atomic bomb.

The Turkish President's self-serving fake war against terrorism could have the tragic consequence of escalating the violence throughout Turkey and neighboring countries. If Ankara is truly interested in countering the Jihadists, it should have done that long ago, instead of arming and abetting ISIS and other terror groups.

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NATO: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

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