The World Next Week: NATO Foreign Ministers Meet in Brussels, EU Discusses Chronic Diseases, and Syria Ships Out More Chemical Weapons

The World Next Week podcast is up. Stewart Patrick filled in for Bob McMahon this week. Stewart and I discussed NATO’s upcoming foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the first European Union Chronic Diseases Summit, and progress in the dismantlement of Syria’s chemical weapons.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/editorial/2014/20140327_T…]

The highlights:

For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:

NATO: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discusses his meeting with President Obama and the situation in Ukraine. Christopher S. Chivvis discusses NATO’s next moves in response to the Crimean annexation. Reuters reports that the former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is being eyed as the next NATO Secretary General and that Obama wants to boost NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe.

Chronic Diseases: The EU Chronic Diseases Summit website frames the chronic disease issues facing Europe. The New York Times explains why the BRICS countries are dealing with a rise in chronic disease. Thomas J. Bollyky argues that there is a need for improved access to noncommunicable disease treatment in the developing world and discusses the global grip of cigarette smoking. The WHO has ten facts on noncommunicable diseases.

Syria: Reuters reports that Secretary of State Kerry hopes the Crimean crisis will not affect Russian cooperation in Syria. The New York Times writes that Syria has delivered another set of chemical weapons for destruction per its international agreement. The Washington Post writes that President Obama’s Syria decisions have been criticized by a group of senators. ABC reports that countries at an Arab Summit were divided over whom to back in the Syrian conflict.