Word: europeanized
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...years ago, the notion of a global missile shield has become an obsession for many of his ideological acolytes. They tend to view any retreat as surrendering to the forces of evil, even though Obama's decision was blessed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates - who had originally recommended the European scheme in 2006 while serving as Defense Secretary to President George W. Bush. In justifying the move, Gates and others cite intelligence reports that Iran - ostensibly the key target of the European shield - is emphasizing shorter-range missiles that couldn't be shot down from Poland...
...Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told reporters late Thursday, Sept. 17, "We must bring our boys home [from Afghanistan] as soon as possible." Speaking at a European Union summit in Brussels, he cautioned that there was no fixed timetable for the pullout of the 3,100-strong contingent and that any withdrawal must be worked out with the other NATO allies present in Afghanistan. (See pictures of Afghanistan's dangerous Korengal Valley...
...Sergio Romano, a Corriere columnist and former Italian ambassador to NATO, says Frattini's concerns echo those expressed in the halls of power across continental Europe. "He's saying what almost all European leaders are saying, either privately or publicly," Romano tells TIME. "There is a rather widespread idea that [the mission in Afghanistan] is not leading anywhere...
...American casualties soared to record numbers over the summer, European troop deaths have been creeping upward, provoking hard questions about the exact nature and objectives of the mission from London to Berlin. "The public doesn't really understand what we are doing there," says Romano. (See pictures of the U.S. Marines' new offensive in Afghanistan...
...Still, columnist Romano believes that Berlusconi's nod to public doubts about Italy's role in Afghanistan is outweighed by the reality that the Prime Minister must ultimately stick with Washington. Other European leaders face the same dilemma, especially now that U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived with a new approach to diplomacy that largely jibes with Europe's. "In the end, all you can really do is keep your soldiers there and accompany them until the day that Obama sees it is O.K. for a pullback," says Romano. "It's a very passive diplomacy, but it's not irrational...