International news clips:

NATO Cleared To Assume Afghan Command.
The Financial Times (2/11, Spiegel) reports, “The US and its European allies on Thursday agreed in principle to put all western troops in Afghanistan under NATO command.” The Times adds, “Although the details and timetable of the handover are still under discussion, diplomats who attended Thursday's meeting of NATO defence ministers said objections by European alliance members had been dropped, and talks had moved on to how quickly to move to a unified command.

Kurdish Assertiveness Raising Red Flags InTurkey.
The Wall Street Journal (2/11, Dreazen) reports that Kurdish leaders’ “increasingly assertive stance is setting off alarms inside the Turkish government, which fears the Kurds are laying the groundwork for a formal declaration of independence. Turkey worries that could renew secessionist rumblings among its own Kurdish minority.”