Free Republic

Analysts generally consider military influence in politics and society to be a critical impediment to the development of democratic political and civil rights and freedoms. According to Freedom House, for example, greater military involvement in government politics decreases civil liberties and political rights in any given country; this infringes on a government's ability to develop democracy. Turkey may be an exception. The military has deep roots in society, and its influence predates the founding of the republic. But rather than hinder democratization, Turkey's military remains an important component in the checks and balances that protect Turkish democracy. Herein lies...

European leaders were shocked this week when Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a NATO audience that the alliance faces a "crisis" because the continent has largely demilitarized. Why the surprise -- have they been in a coma? Europe's free defense ride -- thanks to the rock-solid US security guarantee within the NATO alliance -- has been a problem for decades. Taking the US protective umbrella for granted, the continent has raided defense budgets to cover its ever-growing welfare bills. Just four of NATO's European members (Bulgaria, France, Greece and Britain) spend the alliance's recommended benchmark of 2 percent of gross...

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO announced a 12-year program to help Ukraine destroy millions of surplus Soviet-era weapons in what the alliance called the largest demilitarization effort underway anywhere in the world. The announcement came as Ukraine's new, Westward-leaning president prepared to attend a NATO summit Tuesday in Brussels, where he was expected to ask for closer cooperation between the military bloc and Ukraine. NATO, which has said Ukraine is not ready for full membership, released a statement Saturday about the program, saying it would eliminate 133,000 tons of munitions and 1.5 million small arms and light weapons. "Much of this...