President Barack Obama Wednesday fired his own chosen field commander for Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and replaced him with McChrystal’s boss in the military chain of command, General David Petraeus.  Obama was right to fire McChrystal after the general and his staff made outrageous comments to a Rolling Stone reporter, with unfavorable characterizations of Vice [...]

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WASHINGTON — “Bush was right” is not a view frequently expressed in the New York Times.   But, there it was, in Thomas Friedman’s March 10 column:   “Former President George W. Bush’s gut instinct that this region craved and needed democracy was always right.” Friedman was referring to the elections that took place this [...]

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ANKARA, Turkey — During his first 100 days in power, as a part of his first presidential visit to Europe, U.S. President Barack Obama chose to come to Turkey, where the United States’ image was damaged by the war in Iraq and the tone set by the Bush administration. Even before arriving in Turkey, Obama [...]

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President Eisenhower is reported to have said that one way to solve problems is to expand them. This is an insight worth recalling as the United States and Europe try to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Europeans and Americans share vital interests in the Middle East and have pursued numerous initiatives to address [...]

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Over on the main GMF site, you will find a link to Transatlantic Trends, GMF’s signature survey of American and European public opinion. This year’s findings include data on the U.S. election, Russia as a threat to stability, attitudes toward continued reconstruction in Afghanistan, support for NATO, perceptions of various global threats, and attitudes about [...]

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Much of the commentary on the recent trip by Senator Barack Obama to Europe has–understandably–focused on what his trip means for U.S. presidential politics.   But one can also ask about what it tells us about future transatlantic relations.   It is of course eye-opening and refreshing to see 200,000 Germans demonstrating in favor of [...]

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After much speculation, Barack Obama’s team has announced he will travel to Europe this summer   – to Paris, Berlin, and London (the dates have not yet been announced for security reasons, although the London stop is rumored to be planned as early as next week).   John McCain visited Europe last March once it [...]

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WASHINGTON — April 2009 will mark the 10th anniversary of the entry of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic into NATO.   The journey of these and other former Warsaw Pact countries to NATO and to the European Union is one of the most inspiring transformations in modern history.   There are lessons from these [...]

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Three weeks after Brussels Forum, GMF begins another major conference today with the opening of the Bucharest Conference  alongside the Bucharest NATO Summit. Romanian President Traian Basescu and U.S. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher will deliver speeches beginning at 6:30 Bucharest time, 5:30 in Brussels, and 11:30 a.m. in Washington. You can watch the live stream at [...]

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At Brussels Forum a few weeks ago, BBC World taped an episode of The World Debate, with Nik Gowing as the host. They have posted the video on their webpage. Enjoy!

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