On August 1, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen assumed the leadership of NATO. In this article by JINSA's Jim Colbert and Elizabeth Donne, the controversy over Rasmussen's selection is examined along with the critical issues already demanding his attention such as the NATO-led counter-terror and nation building operations in Afghanistan and increasing tensions with Russia.

The Russian assault on the Republic of Georgia, which had been weeks if not months in planning, surprised no one but Western leaders. Ambassador David Smith of the Tbilisi office of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies briefed members of JINSA’s Boards of Directors and Advisors as well as a select group of lay leaders via conference call on August 15.

In Europe Project Paper #10, JINSA Research Associate Stoyan Stoyanov analyzes the European Union's European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) and its implications for NATO and transatlantic relations.