From NATO Parliamentary Assembly:  Lawmakers from NATO nations issued a series of warnings to Allied governments Saturday highlighting the need to maintain credible defence spending in the face of the economic crisis.

From Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor:  As the Pentagon sets its strategic sights on the Asia-Pacific region – warning of the rise of China and the growing importance of naval power – some US military commanders are concerned about the fate of America’s relationships with its traditional allies in Europe.

From Severin Weiland, Spiegel:  So what does Obama's re-election actually mean for Germany? Will the president set a new tone in German-American relations in the coming four years?

From Josef Joffe, Commentary:  It almost goes unnoticed that the United States is closing a long chapter in its Atlantic history.

From Andrew Rettman, EUobserver:  EU countries must share military resources or become "marginal" powers on the world stage, a Swedish general has said.

Whatever happened to the "Asian Century?" In recent months, two Asias, wholly incompatible, have emerged in stark relief.

There is "Economic Asia," the Dr. Jekyll -- a dynamic, integrated Asia with 53 percent of its trade now being conducted within the region itself, and a $19 trillion regional economy that has become an engine of global growth.

From Tomas Valasek, International Herald Tribune:  What is NATO to do? One school of thought in Europe holds that an alliance with such widely different capabilities will not survive.

On October 18, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center held a discussion entitled, “Food and Water Security and Governance in Asia,” with Dr. Uma Lele, former World Bank economist and member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Water Partnership.

From Julian Lindley–French, New Atlanticist:  One of the many problems is that today’s distinction between NATO members and partners is entirely artificial.  Indeed, it is hard to imagine any sizeable NATO operation ever again taking place without partners.

Over the past few months there’s been much talk about the “pivot” or “shift” to Asia. However, this is less a real change than a reminder of the United States’ continual interest in this important part of the world.