Of War, the United States and NATO

[No Elephants]

1/ "NATO is a fig leaf for the United States." Eleanor Clift, McLaughlin Group.



2/

May 20, 11:22 AM EDT

Protesters gather for largest NATO demonstration

By RYAN J. FOLEY and NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) -- Protesters gathering in Chicago for the NATO summit geared up Sunday for the largest demonstration of the weekend, as thousands are expected to march from a downtown park to the lakeside convention center where President Barack Obama and other world leaders were meeting.

Hours before the main demonstration was set to start, protesters - including peace activists, war veterans and those more focused on the economy - began arriving at Grant Park, holding signs denouncing NATO, including ones that read: "War(equals)Debt" and "NATO, Go Home."

<snip>

Organizers of Sunday's rally had initially predicted tens of thousands of protesters this weekend. But that was when the G-8 summit also was scheduled to be in Chicago. Earlier this year, Obama moved the Group of 8 economic meeting to Camp David, the secluded retreat in rural Maryland.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NATO_SUMMIT_CHICAGO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-20-11-22-17



3/

May 20, 12:20 PM EDT

NATO chief sees financial aid for Afghan forces

By MICHELE SALCEDO

WASHINGTON (AP) -- NATO's secretary-general says he's optimistic that the international community will continue to finance the Afghan security forces.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NATO_SUMMIT_SECRETARY_GENERAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-20-12-20-36




4/

May 20, 12:20 PM EDT

NATO chief insists no rush to exits in Afghanistan

By JULIE PACE and ANNE GEARAN
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) -- The United States and NATO leaders insists the Afghanistan fighting coalition will remain whole despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early, but leaders wary of plummeting public support for the war are using an alliance summit Sunday to show they want to move quickly away from the front lines.

<snip>

Public opinion in Europe and the United States is solidly against the war, with a majority of Americans now saying it is unwinnable or not worth continuing.

Newly elected French President Francois Hollande has said he will withdraw all French combat troops from Afghanistan by year's end - a full two years before the timeline agreed to by nations in the U.S.-led NATO coalition.

"There will be no rush for the exits," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. "Our goal, our strategy, our timetable remain unchanged."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NATO_SUMMIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-20-12-20-07

No rush to the exits from Afghanistan? Methinks NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is going for the understatement of the millenium award.