Below, please find the latest articles to have appeared in print and electronic media about CSIS and its experts. For your reference, there is also a link to archived media coverage of CSIS.
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the New York Times, "Pentagon Considers Adding Forces in Afghanistan."
The Pentagon is considering sending as many as 7,000 more American troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, senior Bush administration officials said. They said the step would push the number of American forces there to roughly 40,000, the highest level since the war began more than six years ago, and would require at least a modest reduction in troops from Iraq. The planning began in recent weeks, reflecting a growing resignation to the fact that NATO is unable or unwilling to contribute more troops despite public pledges of an intensified effort in Afghanistan from the presidents and prime ministers who attended an alliance summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania, last month. Julianne Smith, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan policy institute, said the meeting did not live up to the expectations or the public celebration during the session. “If you look at what the NATO commanders got, it’s hard to see the silver lining,” she said.Read the article
April 18
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Bush, Brown Stress Unity Amidst Financial Tumult."
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown showed a united front on a host of thorny global issues Thursday, with Mr. Brown proclaiming that the alliance between the U.S. and the United Kingdom is "stronger than ever." "For his purposes, the goal for Brown is twofold: to put a brave face on the Bush-Brown relations and talk about things like Iraq, and show that the U.S. and U.K. relationship is not in decline and we are not going through a frosty period," said Julianne Smith, director of the Europe Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.Read more
April 17
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "British PM Seeks Ties with Bush, Presidential Candidates."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has not had an especially close relationship with President Bush, but he may be looking for a tighter bond with his successor, whoever that might be.''That's remarkable,'' said Julianne Smith, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Europe program. ''Few foreign leaders could secure these kinds of meetings in the middle of a campaign. That speaks to how the candidates view relations with Britain.''Read more
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Bush's Vision of NATO Takes Root."
Beyond all the wrangling over troop commitments and membership at this week's North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, a grudging consensus has emerged in favor of NATO's growing involvement far beyond Europe's borders. That is a victory for President Bush, who has consistently pushed NATO to become more engaged in trouble spots around the world. [...] Other observers say that — judging from how the U.S. expansionist view keeps winning out — nothing can reverse NATO's trajectory. Beneath the surface in NATO debates, "we've seen incremental change over the last couple of years that...indicate to me that we are ultimately moving towards the more bold, ambitious vision," said Julianne Smith, the Europe program director for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the article
April 3
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, appeared on WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show, "The NATO Summit."
At the NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania, President Bush is calling on European allies to increase commitments in Afghanistan. He's also pushing proposals Russia strongly opposes — namely missile defense, and expanding NATO to include Ukraine and Georgia. Debate over the future of NATO, and the run-up to Bush's final meeting with President Putin in Russia.Listen to the interview
April 2
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "NATO Confronting New Threats."
NATO’s latest security worries go far beyond Taliban fighters or al-Qaida extremists: They include computer hackers, threats to global energy supplies and climate change profiteers. [. . .] But any attempt to push the new threats to the forefront likely will run into resistance from allies pressing NATO to get back to basics, said Julianne Smith, Europe program director for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read More
April 1
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times, "This Week's NATO Summit Will Shape Bush's Legacy."
KIEV, UKRAINE -- President Bush is traveling roughly 100,000 miles on eight trips overseas this year, wrestling with the intractable issues of the Middle East and a relationship with China that has grown increasingly troubled at the end of his tenure.Against that backdrop, said Julianne Smith, a Europe expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the administration is ready to order up more global missions and put on NATO's plate "new threats, new challenges."But, she said, France and others believe that "the alliance should step back, focus on its traditional mission of collective defense and security in the Euro-Atlantic area, and not get ahead of itself and be too ambitious with its vision and in crafting . . . where it's going to go in the next 10 to 20 years."Read the article
April 1
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by CNN.com, "Bush Heads to His Last NATO Summit with Eye on Russia."
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush will seek to persuade reluctant European allies to commit more troops for the fight in Afghanistan at his last North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit this week.But Julianne Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said more NATO troops alone will not address Afghanistan's deeper challenges."Even if NATO succeeds in securing say 2,000 to 3,000 more troops ... we are still facing a situation where without the required reconstruction assistance, NATO will not be able to succeed," Smith said. Read the article
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, appeared on Deutsche Welle's transatlantic talkshow Capital Cities, Divides within NATO and the deteriorating relations between NATO and Russia.
Divides within NATO and the deteriorating relations between NATO and Russia were at the center of Deutsche Welle's monthly transatlantic talkshow "Capital Cities," moderated by Rüdiger Lentz and Melinda Crane. Mr. Lentz is President USA of the Atlantic Initiative. [. . .] What about solidarity within the Alliance. Kissinger just recently said there cannot be a NATO Alliance "à la carte." What does that mean? JULIANNE SMITH: We don't want member states to be cherry-picking what parts of the mission they are comfortable with and putting constraints and limits on how their resources will be used. Read More
March 31
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Washington Post, "Bush to Meet NATO Allies Divided over Adding Troops."
President Bush heads to Europe today to try to rescue the faltering mission in Afghanistan, and key NATO allies plan to meet his demands for more forces with modest troop increases, though not by as much as U.S. military officers say is needed to put down a stubborn Taliban insurgency. France has signaled it will announce at this week's NATO summit that it will send another 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, while Britain plans to send about 800 more and Poland has already promised another 400. But Germany and others refuse to contribute additional ground forces, and the United States may have to increase its own commitment to make up the shortfall, U.S. and European officials and analysts said. [...] At the heart of the discussion is whether NATO should even be projecting force so far from its own borders or return to its historical role of self-defense. "This is a debate we've seen inside the alliance for the last couple of years," said Julianne Smith, head of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "but it's really coming to a head over Afghanistan, because part of the alliance feels that Afghanistan should be a precedent for future missions and part of the alliance feels like it should be an exception, perhaps never to be repeated again." Read the article
March 31
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the USA Today, "Afghanistan 'Most Important Issue' for NATO."
Iraq may dominate the headlines more often, but when leaders of 26 NATO nations gather in Bucharest, Romania, this week for their annual summit, the war in Afghanistan will be the hot topic. President Bush will seek more help against the resurgent Taliban from NATO allies reluctant to put troops at risk, particularly when public sentiment in Europe runs against a long-term commitment. [...] Although the American public is more supportive of the war in Afghanistan than it is of the conflict in Iraq, some European allies see the U.S. effort in Afghanistan as unfocused, says Julianne Smith, Europe program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "You've got a little bit of finger-pointing going on," she says. Read the article
March 31
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by Reuters, "Bush Seeks to Salvage Legacy at NATO and Putin Summits."
U.S. President George W. Bush left on Monday for his farewell NATO summit and a final heads-of-state meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin as he tries to salvage a foreign policy legacy frayed by the Iraq war. Seeking to reassert himself on the world stage in the twilight of his term, Bush will press NATO for more troops in Afghanistan, try to keep up momentum in the alliance's eastward expansion and attempt to ease strains with Russia. [...] "Many of them are looking forward now to the next president in Washington and are already thinking about what the 2009 summit will bring," said Julianne Smith, a Europe analyst at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.Read the article
March 31
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by Bloomberg, "Rumsfeld Rides Again as Old, New Europe Tensions Shake Up NATO."
The spirit of Donald Rumsfeld is stalking NATO: From the war in Afghanistan to confronting the Kremlin, the U.S. once again has more support from "new" Europe than from "old." Rumsfeld launched a broadside at France and Germany in 2003, when as U.S. defense secretary he dismissed them as problematic "old Europe" for resisting the Iraq War and said that "the center of gravity" was shifting east, where new allies like Poland had joined in the coalition against Saddam Hussein. [...] NATO is mired in "a very deep strategic divide" over Afghanistan, says Julianne Smith, Europe program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "We have a bit of a blame game going on between Europe and the U.S."Read the article
March 31
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, "Bush Heads to Eastern Europe as Mood Shifts."
President Bush starts a weeklong trip to Eastern Europe Monday, still popular in the region but under pressure because of Russia's efforts to regain influence and a U.S. failure to deliver on some commitments. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili summed up the attitude of many Eastern Europeans at an Oval Office meeting this month when he gushed over Mr. Bush's support for their political and economic development. [...] "There's starting to be a little disillusionment with this relationship," says Julianne Smith, an expert on Europe at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We're starting to see these accusations: 'Here's a country that takes and takes and takes, and never gives.'" Read the article
March 30
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "Summit's Big Question: Whither NATO?"
In Afghanistan, it is battling al-Qaida and Taliban. In newly independent Kosovo, it's up against Serbian protesters armed with firebombs and grenades. And behind the scenes, it is helping to quell the violence in Iraq and to track down suspected war criminals in Bosnia. NATO, its chief insists, has no ambitions to become a "global policeman." But the military alliance born of the Cold War continues to grow and face new challenges. "The problem with Afghanistan is that it's eclipsing the summit just as it did in Riga in 2006," when NATO held its last big meeting, said Julianne Smith, Europe program director for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. [...]Read the article
March 28
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "NATO, Pushing 60, Will Grapple with New and Old Threats at Summit."
In Afghanistan, it is battling al-Qaida and Taliban. In newly independent Kosovo, it's up against Serbian protesters armed with firebombs and grenades. And behind the scenes, it is helping to quell the violence in Iraq and to track down suspected war criminals in Bosnia. NATO, its chief insists, has no ambitions to become a "global policeman." But the military alliance born of the Cold War continues to grow and face new challenges. [...] "The problem with Afghanistan is that it's eclipsing the summit just as it did in Riga in 2006," when NATO held its last big meeting, said Julianne Smith, Europe program director for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.Read the article
March 27
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by Reuters, "NATO Seeks New Afghan Push from Summit."
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Reuters) - NATO's leaders want next week's summit in Romania to resolve internal tensions over its mission in Afghanistan and commit more troops, signalling its willingness to stay the course there and defeat the Taliban."You're going to see some efforts to try and get around some of that finger-pointing in Bucharest," said Julianne Smith, Europe programme director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington."(But) we still have a number of members inside the alliance that have failed to transform their military to cope with expeditionary operations," she said.Read the article
March 26
Reginald Dale, a senior fellow with the CSIS Europe Program, appeared on CNN's The Situation Room, "How McCain is Viewed in the World."
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, it's meant to foil terrorists and keep you safe. But your high tech U.S. passport is made by foreign companies. That outsourcing may save money, but will you pay a heavy price when it comes to security?REGINALD DALE, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES:In those areas of the world where the Bush foreign policy has been very unpopular, McCain doesn't want to be seen as George Bush Mark II.Read the article
March 22
Reginald Dale, a senior fellow with the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Washington Times, “McCain Seeks to Fix Europe Ties."
One of Sen. John McCain's jokes on the presidential campaign trail is that France now has a pro-American president, "which just goes to show you that if you live long enough, you'll see everything." The 71-year-old Mr. McCain yesterday met in Elysee Palace with President Nicolas Sarkozy, who's perceived as so cozy with the United States that his nickname in France is "Sarko the American." The meeting brought together two savvy politicians who each tout their own ability for "straight talk" and who see the struggle against Islamic extremism as the world's greatest challenge. [...] Mr. McCain is making inroads on the Continent and eclipsing his Democratic presidential rivals, said Reginald Dale, a senior fellow with the European Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Given the sort of [pro-European] views that McCain has expressed lately, I think it would be quite easy for him to stake out a [good] reputation among reasonable Europeans, aside from the knee-jerk anti-America crowd," he said. "I think McCain has given much more thought about Europe than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton."Read the article
March 20
Reginald Dale, director of the CSIS Transatlantic Media Network, had a commentary published in the International Herald Tribune, "It's Official: Spring is Sprung."
WASHINGTON: Spring began to infiltrate the nation's capital toward the end of February. In the lead were tiny skirmish lines of snowdrops, while trees took on the colored sheen revealing that buds and leaves are on the way.Then came an escalating cascade of crocuses, daffodils and early flowering cherries and magnolias. This is the best part of spring, full of promise, transient beauty, new life and hope. It is such a magnificent time that I want to shout, "Stop! Hold it right there!"Read the article
March 11
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Washington Times, "Bush, Polish Leader Impel Defense Talks."
Missile defense negotiations between the U.S. and Polish governments will move forward after both sides appeared to make key concessions yesterday during talks between President Bush and Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the White House. . . . "It appears that both sides are meeting each other halfway," said Julianne Smith, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Read More
March 11
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Washington Post, "Bush Vows He Will Upgrade Poland's Air Defenses."
President Bush promised yesterday to upgrade Poland's antiquated armed forces with a plan to be developed before he leaves office in January as he sought to secure an agreement that would allow the United States to establish an antimissile system in Eastern Europe despite vigorous Russian objections. Meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the White House, Bush appeared to boost efforts to get his missile defense program on track in the face of deep skepticism in Warsaw. Tusk came to office in November far cooler to the idea of stationing U.S. interceptors on Polish soil than his predecessor, and until recently talks had bogged down. [...] "We've gotten past the impasse and started the engines again," said Julianne Smith, head of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. "It doesn't mean we've got all the details settled, but both sides are moving again." Read the article
February 1
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Associated Press, "World Captivated by US Presidential Race."
Germans are gaga over Barack Obama. He's got Japan pretty jazzed, too, along with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Russia's leaders, not so much: They prefer a Republican - as long as it's not Kremlin critic John McCain. And Mexico's president? He doesn't have much use for any of them. "They feel there's a real chance to work with the U.S.," said Julianne Smith, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "America's image in the world is really on the line."Read the article
January 22
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by the Washington Times, "U.S. Lobbies NATO to Expand."
NATO is expected to issue membership invitations to as many as three Balkan countries this spring in yet another round of enlargement championed by the United States, alliance diplomats said yesterday. Although no official decision will be made until a few days before a NATO summit in Romania in April, the diplomats spoke of being "bullish," and said a "strong current" was developing in favor of Croatia, Albania and Macedonia. [...] "There is a great deal of opposition to this idea," said Julianne Smith, director of the European program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. "The question will be asked if these countries are prepared for what NATO is going to ask from them. The alliance we have today demands a great deal."Read the article
January 20
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by Agence France Press, "NATO tensions surface amid growing pressure in Afghanistan."
Tensions between NATO allies, notably with the United States, and doubts about the powers of a new UN envoy are a sign of growing pressure as the alliance struggles in Afghanistan, experts say. A new peak was reached last week, when US Defense Secretary Robert Gates hit out at allied operations against Taliban fighters in south Afghanistan, which led to the Netherlands summoning the US ambassador for an explanation. [...] "The most glaring challenge is the lack of a coordinated strategy both at the military level and in the area of post-conflict reconstruction," said Julianne Smith at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the article
January 16
Julianne Smith, director of the CSIS Europe Program, was quoted by Defense News, "MoD Chief: Poland Braces For Defense Budget Cuts."
Polish military officials are girding for a budget crunch as they try to modernize the nation’s aging and war-ravaged equipment while moving toward an all-volunteer force, all without a hike in annual military spending. The Polish parliament, which has set defense spending at 1.95 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, has mandated that at least 20 percent of the military’s budget must go to upgrade its equipment. But that still might be too little for modernization, said Poland’s defense minister, Bogdan Klich. [...] It’s not just that its equipment is old. Most Polish equipment has been “worn down” during fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Julianne Smith, director of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Europe Program and its Initiative for a Renewed Transatlantic Partnership. “It’s amazing that they’ve done so much with such a small force, but that force is pretty broken down right now.” Read the article
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