Topic: Security Treaty

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted in a recent statement that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine was a response to NATO's refusal to sign a treaty promising no further enlargement. This contradicts previous Western media narratives that claimed the war had nothing to do with NATO expansion. A media supercut highlights the repetitive nature of officials denying the NATO connection prior to Stoltenberg's admission.

Undersecretary Wendy Sherman explains the strategy of using a UN Security Council resolution to endorse the Iran deal before the U.S. Congress can vote. The hosts explain that this "fancy footwork" bypasses the Constitutional requirement for a two-thirds Senate majority for treaties, likely resulting in an executive order that lasts for the remainder of the Obama presidency.

Spain proposes reintroducing border controls between Schengen countries as the European Union considers moving toward a more formal political and banking union. The discussion compares the potential rise of a centralized EU police force, such as an empowered Europol, to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in the United States. Media outlets begin labeling recent French terror attacks as "France's 9/11," signaling a shift toward increased state security measures.

At the Munich Security Conference, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the future of European defense. Sarkozy's rhetoric regarding shared military forces and nuclear deterrence is interpreted as a push toward a unified European army under the Lisbon Treaty.