Nato in Afghanistan - another Thirty Years' War

In view of the unchanged seriousness of the security situation in Afghanistan Nato is readying itself for a prolonged and even stronger presence of its troops there, the daily Der Standard writes: "The Atlantic alliance is now preparing to correct its war strategy. The diagnosis was that more soldiers were needed but were not the solution, which seems contradictory at first glance but reflects what has gone wrong so far with the Afghanistan campaign. … More soldiers and a different strategy: General David Petraeus, commander of the US Central Command, wants to apply the same strategy in Afghanistan that was moderately successful in Iraq. No bombing campaigns but rather a massive military presence; moving out of the bases and seeking contact with the population, winning trust – 'drinking lots of tea', as Petraeus put it. It's quite possible that he will be successful, but it will only be a half-victory. Stabilising Pakistan and overcoming the Taliban's allies are much more difficult challenges."

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