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NATO says new headquarters to cost $1.3 billion

BRUSSELS – This is not a time of austerity for NATO, at least where its headquarters are concerned. The military alliance says its new complex will cost euro1 billion ($1.3 billion), a sum critics are calling unnecessary in a time of international belt-tightening.

NATO officials defended the project Tuesday, saying maintenance costs for the "temporary" complex into which NATO moved in 1966 were excessive.

"We're not spending more, we're actually spending less," spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said. "This is a project that's been decided on years ago, way before the financial crisis."

"We even have concrete rot, some parts don't even comply with Belgian safety regulations," Lungescu said.

Construction, scheduled to be finished in 2015, will cost about euro460 million ($600 million), nearly 30 percent less than the original price, Lungescu said.

The rest of the money will be spent to demolish an old Belgian air force base on the site, clear the terrain of bombs left over from World War II, and to pay for new security systems, equipment and furniture as well as the architectural costs.

NATO was formed in 1949 at the height of the Cold War. Its political headquarters was initially in London, but moved to Paris in 1951.

In 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle kicked the alliance out, complaining it was dominated by the United States, and NATO relocated to Brussels, the Belgian capital. It was offered the site of a former airfield just east of the city, from which Nazi bombers had struck at London during World War II.

In more than 60 years of existence, NATO has never had a headquarters built specifically for its use, although it has expanded from 15 members, when it relocated to Brussels, to 28 today.

But the move comes as member governments are cutting defense spending and as the alliance is struggling in the Afghan war, its most ambitious mission yet. Over the past two years, defense spending by NATO's European members has shrunk by about $45 billion.

It also comes as questions are being raised about the continuing relevance of the Cold War alliance, and when NATO's ties with Russia are growing increasingly close.

"The new headquarters is not going to be vacant, but it certainly won't be the nerve center of European defense and security policy that the old building used to be," said Marko Papic, senior analyst at Stratfor, a global intelligence analysis firm from Austin, Texas.

How to Marry Prince William

NEW YORK – A new art exhibition in London invites the public to get up close and personal with the engaged royal. Rachel Wolff talks to artist Jennifer Rubell about her tabloid inspiration.

Marrying Prince William has always been the stuff of fairytales, but swooning young girls probably never imagined him as quite this immobile.

However, now is the chance to sidle up to the newly engaged royal—or at least a faux version of him. Awax sculpture of Princess Diana’s oldest son is the centerpiece of ’s new art exhibition Engagment at London’s . Visitors are invited to slip on a knock-off of Kate Middleton’s sapphire-and-diamond stunner and hook their arm through the prince’s, thereby assuming the soon-to-be-princess’ stance.

Gallery:

Rubell, a New York-based installation artist, was inspired by the wall-to-wall coverage of the engagement. “I was on a flight from New York to Miami reading Us magazine,” Rubell says. “It was the week they had gotten engaged and this was this story about them with their official engagement photo. I just kept looking at that photo—it’s so striking how he’s occupying his own space and how she’s holding onto him. I couldn’t get that image out of my head. It’s that Cinderella/Prince Charming fantasy. You can’t help but think of yourself in Kate’s role.”

The nuptials are a fitting subject for Rubell’s U.K. solo debut, running from February 8 through March 5. “Everything I do is interactive,” Rubell explains. “And this is about trying to figure out a way to interact with that story. The ring, for me, is the location of interaction. It’s the center of the photograph and it’s also the location of the connection to William and his family.”

• In one sense the piece marks a new direction for Rubell, whose . Her installations have included a cell-like room padded with ; a freestanding 60-foot white wall studded with ; a series of sculptural self-portraits made out of , hanging from the ceiling and melting onto stacks of crackers below; and . It’s a fitting medium given the many years Rubell spent as a food writer. But cutting-edge contemporary art is in her blood. Rubell grew up utterly immersed in the stuff: her parents are the notoriously adventurous Miami art collectors . The way she sees it, it just took her some time to develop the right approach.

“Growing up in a family of art collectors, art occupied a particular role in my psychology, one that was both very positive and very negative,” she says. “Part of growing up surrounded by art is constantly being told you can’t interact with it, you can’t touch it, and you can’t even really have an opinion about it when you’re among people who know more than you do. It’s really about this process of distancing yourself from the object, and I’m interested in reversing that kind of engagement.”

Participation is thus the most pervasive thread in Rubell’s work. In addition to her waxy Prince William, Rubell will also show a new series of Drinking Paintings in London. The unprimed white canvases mirror famed painted royal portraits in size. They are rigged with spigots that serve up various types of U.K.-favored booze (think gin, Irish whiskey, and Madeira wine). It’s a fun send-up of the staid wine-and-cheese art opening, not to mention an enticing gimmick that’s sure to pack in young and thirsty art aficionados. But is Rubell worried about offending her new British audience by taking on two of their most beloved public figures?

“In a way, Americans are more interested in the royal family than British people,” Rubell says. “I may be using something that is happening in the U.K. right now, but the subject here is almost a universal fairytale. So far it hasn’t been offensive to anyone—maybe it will be when certain people pose with it, but that’s not my doing. The most interesting part of it to me is that in art history there has always been this problem of the depiction of women. I wanted to create something where I’m not even selecting which woman is portrayed and I’m not determining what her interaction is. The prompt is to slip your finger through the ring, but of course that’s not what you have to do.”

Plus: .

Rachel Wolff is a Brooklyn-based critic, writer, and editor. She covers art for New York Magazine, Town & Country, Bloomberg Businessweek, Art + Auction, Modern Painters, Chicago Magazine, and various Modern Luxury publications.

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Limited benefits of US ties to Egypt's military

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has often boasted of close ties to the Egyptian military, but in the current crisis the payoff from billions in military aid and three decades of U.S. mentorship isn't direct leverage.

Mostly, it's meant an ability to get Cairo's top defense officials on the phone.

U.S. military officers argue that deeper, more subtle benefits have derived from 30 years of cooperation between the two militaries, including a degree of discipline and professionalism by the Egyptian army that has helped keep its soldiers from attacking protesters seeking to topple President Hosni Mubarak. But other factors, including political direction, also influence the army's behavior.

On Friday the military took a more active role in providing security on the streets of central Cairo, where tens of thousands stepped up their protests.

At the same time, officials acknowledge that the U.S. military's influence is limited in circumstances that call for political, rather than military, solutions.

"We're not counseling them; there is no finger-wagging here," said Navy Capt. John Kirby, spokesman for the top U.S. military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, who spoke briefly by phone on Monday and Wednesday with his counterpart in Cairo, Army Lt. Gen. Sami Enan.

Enan was in Washington last week for meetings at the Pentagon, but his delegation cut its visit short and returned home as the crisis grew more perilous last Friday.

Mullen on Friday cautioned Congress against rushing to halt U.S. military aid, reflecting the long-held view that it provides important leverage. He told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he would "caution against doing anything until we know what's really going on." And in an appearance Thursday on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, the Joint Chiefs chairman said Egyptian officials had assured him the military would not fire on protesters.

The military has largely stayed out of the clashes, perhaps judging that to intervene more directly could make matters worse.

Haim Malka, a senior Mideast expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was even more forceful about not cutting off military aid, predicting that the Egyptian military will play a central role in shaping the contours of a post-Mubarak government.

"The United States' ability to influence that system is already limited," Malka wrote in a commentary Friday. "Freezing military aid now undermines what leverage the U.S. government does have to promote a post-Mubarak system that is more than just a reconfiguration of the status quo."

Many aspects of the training the Egyptian army has received from U.S. officers over the years are not directly relevant to the current crisis featuring vicious clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters with police forces doing little to stop them.

At its core, the purpose of U.S. military assistance to Egypt has been to preserve its peace deal with Israel, although U.S. officials in recent years have tried to steer the Egyptians toward a focus on countering Islamic extremist forces.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has talked by phone with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi four times since Sunday, most recently on Friday, and the Joint Chiefs' top strategic planner, Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby, had a brief phone conversation with his Cairo counterpart on Wednesday.

None of that suggests the U.S. military has great influence.

Kirby said Mullen has offered no advice to the Egyptians, neither urging them to counsel Mubarak to resign nor asking them about specific military plans for dampening the street violence. Instead he has sought simply to keep the lines of communication open and, by praising the military's restraint, make clear that Washington expects them to continue to avoid a harsh crackdown.

President Barack Obama appeared to be sending a similar message to the military when he said Tuesday, "I want to commend the Egyptian military for the professionalism and patriotism that it's shown thus far in allowing peaceful protests while protecting the Egyptian people."

The Egyptian military is the power base of Mubarak's regime. He's a former air force pilot. The army ousted the monarchy soon after it seized power in a 1952 coup, and all of the country's presidents since have come from the ranks of the military.

The current scope of U.S. military assistance began with the signing of Egypt's landmark peace treaty with Israel in 1979. It totaled $1.3 billion last year and includes air, land and naval support.

Egypt is just one example of how the Pentagon has sought over time to improve its standing with foreign militaries by selling them U.S. weaponry, providing long-term technical support, holding joint exercises, having regular face-to-face meetings at senior levels, and bringing junior and mid-level officers to the U.S. to attend institutions like the National Defense University and the Army's Command and General Staff College. The curriculum includes instruction in human rights, the principle of civilian control of the military, the U.S. Constitution and other elements of democracy.

The theory is that such interaction will make foreign military leaders more inclined to accept U.S. views on the proper role of a military in society.

Pentagon officials have often cited Pakistan as an example of how this influence can be lost or diminished when military-to-military ties are severed, as they were in the 1990s as a punitive U.S. response to Islamabad's development of nuclear weapons. That left the U.S. military struggling to rebuild trust and regain influence among Pakistani military officers when the Bush administration launched its war on terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.

Egypt is a particularly important U.S. ally because it was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel and remains an important player in broader Arab-Israeli peace efforts. Mubarak attended ceremonies in Washington in September marking a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and he hosted the first formal round of talks shortly afterward in Egypt.

By controlling the Suez Canal, Egypt also plays a key role in the movement of world oil supplies.

Thai and Cambodian troops clash for fourth day

PHUM SARON, Thailand (Reuters) – Thai and Cambodian troops clashed for a fourth straight day on Monday over a disputed border area surrounding a 900-year-old mountaintop temple, deepening political uncertainty in Bangkok and prompting Cambodia to urge U.N. intervention.

Several hours of shelling and machine gun fire subsided at around 11 a.m. (0400 GMT), creating an uneasy peace in the 4.6-sq-km (two-sq-mile) contested area around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbors.

Both sides blame the other for sparking clashes that have killed at least two Thais and three Cambodians since Friday and unleashed nationalist passions in Bangkok, energizing "yellow shirt" protesters demanding Thailand's government step down.

Reasons behind the fighting remain murky. Some analysts reckon hawkish Thai generals and nationalist allies may be trying to topple Thailand's government or even create a pretext to stage another coup and cancel elections expected this year.

Others say it may be a simple breakdown in communication channels at a time of strained relations over Cambodia's flying of a national flag in the disputed area and laying of a stone tablet inscribed with "This is Cambodia."

In Phum Saron, an evacuated village in Thailand's Si Sa Ket province where Cambodian artillery struck several homes and a school on Sunday, Thai soldiers guarded buildings and said it was unclear if more fighting loomed.

The Thai government said 30 Thai soldiers and 4 villagers had been wounded so far. Cambodia says 10 of its troops were wounded.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called on the U.N. Security Council to convene an urgent meeting, accusing Thailand of "repeated acts of aggression" that have killed Cambodians and caused a wing of the temple to collapse.

In a speech in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen directly addressed his Thai counterpart.

"We will go to the U.N. Security Council whether you like it or not," he said during a university graduation ceremony, calling on the United Nations to deploy peacekeeping troops to the area. "The armed clash is threatening regional security."

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wrote to the Security Council accusing Cambodia of starting the fighting by opening fire at a Thai military post at Phat Ma Khua village on Friday, and again in the same area on Sunday.

"Thai soldiers had no choice but to exercise the inherent right of self defense," Abhisit said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement he was "deeply concerned" and urged both sides to cease fire and find a "lasting solution" to the dispute, echoing a similar statement from Washington over the weekend.

INFLAMING THAI NATIONALISTS

The dispute threatens to worsen long-running hostility between Thai political factions ahead of the expected general election this year.

Thailand's national police chief said he would seek cabinet approval on Tuesday to impose the Internal Security Act this week to give the military powers to prevent protesters from occupying government buildings in Bangkok in a planned protest on Friday.

The "yellow shirts," who helped to bring Abhisit to power, have turned against him in recent weeks, calling for him to take a tougher line against Cambodia.

In 2008, they occupied state offices for three months and blockaded Bangkok's main airport until a court expelled a government allied with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a step that paved the way for Abhisit to take power.

"I don't think this will look good for Abhisit's government, especially as we are heading toward elections," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

Thousands have fled villages on the Thai side and hundreds of Cambodians have been evacuated.

The clashes pushed down shares in Thai firms which have businesses in Cambodia, led by a 1.8 percent loss in satellite firm Thaicom, with its telecom service in Cambodia contributing 10 percent of revenue, said broker Capital Nomura Securities.

The temple, known as Preah Vihear, or "Mountain of the Sacred Temple," in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on a triangular plateau that forms a natural border.

Both sides have been locked in a standoff since July 2008, when Preah Vihear was granted UNESCO World Heritage status, which Thailand opposed on grounds that territory around the temple had never been demarcated.

Thailand ruled much of northwestern Cambodia, including Preah Vihear, from the late 18th century until the early 20th century, when Cambodia's French colonial rulers forced the Thais back to the current international frontier.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded the temple to Cambodia, which uses a century-old French map as the basis for its territorial claims, but the ruling failed to determine ownership of the scrub next to it.

(Additional reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh and Pracha Hariraksapitak in Bangkok; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Andrew Marshall)

Naturade Introduces Vitali-T-Aid, a Drug-Free, Natural Testosterone Booster

Vitali-T-Aid™ is a natural solution for boosting free testosterone levels and increasing libido.* The all natural, key ingredient in Vitali-T-Aid™ was shown in two double-blind, placebo-controlled, human clinical studies to be a safe and effective way to significantly increase free testosterone levels and improve libido.Additional findings including improved muscle mass and energy levels.*

Yorba Linda, CA (PRWEB) February 7, 2011

Naturade®, a leading brand in the natural products channel for more than 84 years, is proud to announce the introduction of Vitali-T-Aid™, a drug-free natural testosterone booster.

Vitali-T-Aid™ is a natural solution for boosting free testosterone levels and increasing libido.* The all natural, key ingredient in Vitali-T-Aid™ was shown in two double-blind, placebo-controlled, human clinical studies to be a safe and effective way to significantly increase free testosterone levels and improve libido.Additional findings including improved muscle mass and energy levels.*

Vitali-T-Aid was formulated to help combat the negative symptoms of androgen (testosterone) decline in the aging male, or what some people call low testosterone. Most men start experiencing a decline in the both testosterone and free testosterone levels in their late 30s and these levels continue to decline by 1% - 3% per year thereafter. By age 60, 20% of men will have significantly lowered testosterone levels which may impact energy, mood, libido, muscle mass maintenance and bone density.

“The active ingredient in Vitali-T-Aid™ was shown to increase free testosterone by and average of 98% in human clinical studies.Each daily dose of Vitali-T-Aid™ also contains a proprietary Male Enhancement Blend of L-Arginine and beneficial herbs, such as Saw Palmetto, Astragalus, Tribulus and Asian Ginseng, to help support enhanced male health and well-being.* Vitali-T-Aid™ by Naturade® is a natural solution for increasing free testosterone levels and promoting healthy libido, muscle mass and energy*.We are very proud to offer a science-based efficacious product that addresses a serious condition that millions of men suffer from," said Rick Robinette, the CEO of Naturade.

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Rick RobinetteNaturade1-800-421-1830Email Information