Anders Fogh Rasmussen

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NATO Plans 'Rapid Reaction' Force to Counter Russia

Moscow warns of 'new military doctrine'

(Newser) - Tough talk as NATO-Russia relations continue to deteriorate: NATO leaders, who meet in the UK later this week, are planning a "rapid reaction" force that can deploy to Russia's worried Eastern European neighbors within 48 hours, reports the New York Times . The "spearhead" force would have a...

NATO Axes Cooperation With Russia

'Complete combat force' still at border

(Newser) - Russia can't expect "business as usual" after its annexation of Crimea, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting, announcing that the alliance is "suspending all practical cooperation with Russia, military and civilian." After the first meeting of the 28-member alliance since the crisis began,...

Russia Jacks Ukraine's Gas Price 40%

And NATO boss says Russia hasn't moved troops yet

(Newser) - Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom is increasing the price of the natural gas it sells to Ukraine by 40%, it announced today, in what Reuters sees as an attempt to increase economic pressure on Kiev. But Gazprom didn't explain the move in terms of geopolitics; the company said...

Israel Trumpets 'Direct Hits' on Syrian Targets

As Syrian warplanes attack rebel town within yards of Turkish border

(Newser) - Following a warning missile yesterday, Israel has launched further attacks on Syria in response to Syrian mortar rounds that strayed across the border. Israel says its tanks managed "direct hits" on "Syrian mobile artillery" today, the AP reports. Meanwhile, dozens of Syrians have fled into Turkey after a...

NATO at Odds on When to Stop Bombing Libya

US pushing to continue the air campaign for now

(Newser) - Friction is growing within NATO over when to end its air campaign in Libya, with some arguing for a quick exit and others, including the US, arguing that the campaign should continue until the last remnants of Moammar Gadhafi’s loyalists are brought to heel. “It’s over,”...

NATO, US See Lengthy Stay in Afghanistan

Combat operations might end in 2004, followed by support mission

(Newser) - The NATO summit resulted in lots of talk about "transition goals" for Afghanistan, but the only thing for certain is that US and NATO troops aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The official proclamation promises that allied forces will push to end combat operations by the end of 2014—but...

World Powers Mull Afghan Exit
 World Powers Mull Afghan Exit 

World Powers Mull Afghan Exit

But Hamid Karzai thinks it'll be a while before his country's ready

(Newser) - Delegates from about 70 nations met in London today to draft an exit strategy for the Afghanistan conflict, which, consensus has it, would involve handing security responsibilities over to local forces and seducing Taliban fighters with jobs and homes. In attendance were everyone from Hillary Clinton to Ban Ki-Moon to...

NATO Will Send 5,000* More Troops to Afghanistan

*But only if you use creative counting

(Newser) - NATO's chief said today that the alliance will be more than happy to fulfill President Obama's request to send another 5,000 troops to Afghanistan. "And probably a few thousand on top of that," asserted Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "This is our fight together." The problem, says...

NATO Chief: Let's Combine US, Russian Missile Defenses

(Newser) - One day after the US decided to scrap a missile-defense system that Russia opposed, NATO wants to make relations with Moscow even cozier. Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposed combining Russia's anti-missile defenses with those of NATO and the US, Reuters reports. He pitched it as a shared interest: "If...

NATO Probes 'Disastrous' Air Strike; 90 Dead

Horrific injuries reported after fireball engulfs villagers

(Newser) - NATO will conduct a "thorough investigation" into the air strike on two Taliban-hijacked fuel tankers in Afghanistan that killed 90 people today, many of them believed to be civilians, the alliance's secretary general said. An investigation team has already been sent to the area as reports trickle in of...

Turkey Opposes US Choice for NATO Chief

Mohammed cartoon row may lead them to block Danish PM

(Newser) - Among the tasks facing NATO leaders this weekend is the selection of a new secretary-general for the 28-member alliance. The leading candidate is Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, who has the support of the US and other major powers. But today Turkey opposed his candidacy, the Telegraph reports,...

EU Leaders Sign New Treaty
EU Leaders Sign New Treaty

EU Leaders Sign New Treaty

But some clamor for referendum

(Newser) - Two years after the French and Dutch rejected the European Constitution, leaders of the 27 EU nations are signing the new Treaty of Lisbon today, aimed to strengthen union decision-making. Unlike the previous document, this one does not require nation-by-nation referendums to be ratified. That's caused a tremendous political headache...

Denmark Gives New Mandate to Prime Minister

Early-election gamble yields third term for right-wing coalition

(Newser) - Denmark's ruling coalition won a third term in government yesterday for right-leaning PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who called the election 15 months ahead of schedule, reports the Times of London. The party of Naser Khader, a Syrian-born legislator, did not win enough seats to force the ruling coalition to include...

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