France ignores Afghanistan debate

As the Netherlands begins its withdrawal from Afghanistan, other countries are also raising the question of pulling their troops out, says ‎ Pierre Haski in the news portal Rue89. But there is one exception: "BBC's Brussels correspondent emphasizes that Nato is very anxious about a country participating in the international operations in Afghanistan withdrawing its troops ... and the repercussions for the Western strategy there. Nato's worry is especially great because another important country, Canada, which has suffered especially great losses, also has raised the issue of troop withdrawal in the coming year. But there is no chance of that happening with France: There has been no real debate about this deployment of French military units in almost nine years. ... The question I raised back in February - 'Why do the French forget about the Afghanistan war?' - remains valid despite the 45 French casualties, and a completely absent political visibility."

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