From Donna Miles, Armed Forces Press Service:  As the United States implements new strategic guidance that increases its focus on Asia and the Pacific, it also needs to pursue “smart defense initiatives” as it continues to honor its NATO commitments, a seni

From Hani Al-Bahrani, the Kuwait News Agency:  NATO has evolved from an Alliance focused on a singular threat, to an Alliance based on security partnership between the 28 members and the rest of the world, thanks to the military intervention in Libya, a senior NATO official said here.

From Robert Pszczel, the New Atlanticist:  Exhibit one – the Levada Center opinion poll conducted in January 2011 showed NATO being described as an adversary by 23 percent of Russians (Chechen rebels came first on that list with 43 percent, followed by USA with 28 percent).

From Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy:  [T]he structure of the balance of power in the rap world continued to evolve towards multipolarity, if not an actual hegemonic transition, in the midst of a serious financial crisis afflicting the entire industry -- a situation not unfamiliar to the White House.

From NATO:  In her first public speech since joining NATO, Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic highlighted the importance of open communication in bringing NATO closer to its people.

Recent months have powerfully brought to light that the enthusiasm for the idea of the European Union as a common home without borders is far from internalized by European societies.

From NATO:  Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović took up her position as NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy on 4 July 2011. 

From Marc Champion, the Wall Street Journal:  In the vexed debate over whether Turkey is shifting its axis to the east, a new study suggests that if it is, then that may be more about old-fashioned nationalism than rising Islamism.