Dive into the archives.
- Germany ‘NSA” Update
A few days ago, I alerted readers to another proposed security reform in Germany which would centralize Germany’s signals intelligence gathering. While I still have found little in the press in English or German, this longer Spiegel article outlines the concerns it has raised and the mood in Germany a bit more.
Germany Plans to Centralize [...]
- A German NSA
Not long after proposing a comprehensive reform of Germany’s security policy, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany is pushing for yet another security reform, combining Germany’s intelligence agencies under one roof. At the moment, German runs the following intelligence agencies:
- Federal Intelligence Service (BND or Bundesnachrichtendienst)
Military Security Service (MAD or Militärischer Abschirmdienst)
Federal Office for [...]
- Bad News for NATO from Germany
With questions about a two-tier system for NATO and concerns about certain members being unreliable or not sharing the burden, a ruling by the German Supreme Court comes as more bad news. The issue this time was the deployment of German AWACs along the Turkish border with Iraq in 2003. The article notes that:
Germany had [...]
- German NSC Sparks Controversy
In 1871, the many German states, previously divided and often at odds with each other, were united under the leadership of Prussia and Otto von Bismarck. Europe had long consisted of a strong France in the west, a divided series of weak states in central Europe and a strong Russia to the East. A united [...]
- The sad convolutions of a pacifist constitution
Defense Minister troubled over legal issues if UFO arrives
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that he was troubled over potential legal issues if a UFO arrives in Japan, requiring action by the Self-Defense Forces, Japanese media reports.The subject was triggered by a question from oppositional lawmaker Ryuji Yamane, who argued the government should attempt to [...]
- Quality versus quantity
How do you prevent your interests from being hijacked when in an unequal partnership? This is a question I have been thinking about recently.
For example, America will often pressure smaller and weaker allies to increase their defence spending. It does this to offset its own responsibility for the defence of those allies, but also hopes [...]
- Diversifcation of Foreign Policy
The end of the Cold War heralded many things. The fact that so much is still written about it says a lot about how deeply it changed the world and how little we still understand about the present. While much has been said about US foreign policy since then, too little attention is often paid [...]
