What to look for at the NATO Summit

NATO members are gathering for their 2014 summit in Wales this week, and tensions are higher than usual. Topics are expected to include Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine, the Syrian Civil War, Islamic militants, and even aggressive territorial claims by China. Just in time for the summit, Vago gathered an expert roundtable to preview the discussions on Defense News…

Syria Talks End, US Officials Hint Damascus Taking it Easy on al Qaeda

During the nine days of the initial round of talks between the Syrian regime and a coalition of rebel groups, almost 1,900 people were killed across the country in continuing violence, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. There wasn’t much optimism among participants as the talks broke up until Feb 10, with…

As Domestic Agenda Crumbles, Obama’s National Security Team Is Under Fire

ESSAY Second terms for U.S. presidents are tough. One’s domestic political capital quickly burns off after his Election Day mandate is forgotten by political friends and foes. So presidents often become “foreign-policy presidents” in their final years in the Oval Office. Things were heading in that familiar direction for Barack Obama. But there are signs…

DIA Chief: Years Needed to Remove, Destroy Syria’s Chemical Weapons

UN weapons inspectors could soon begin the arduous and tense work of locating and seizing Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons. But the head of the Pentagon’s top intelligence organization wants everyone watching the Syria-US-Russia drama to know one thing: It’s going to take a long time to get those weapons out of the country.

Frustrated Sen. Corker on Obama, White House Aides: ‘They’re So Hard to Help’

Sen. Bob Corker is, as they say in Washington, a player. After all, he’s been at the forefront of efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, strike a grand bargain fiscal deal, and most recently, craft a Syria use-of-force measure both parties could support. The congenial Tennessee Republican portrays an image that is one part…