euro|topics - Should Europeans commit more to Afghanistan?

Main focus of Friday, October 26, 2007

Should Europeans commit more to Afghanistan?

Gathered in Noordwijk in the Netherlands on Thursday October 25th, NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers made no concrete decisions on further deployment of troops in Afghanistan. Several European countries already have troops there, notably in the north of the country. But the situation is degenerating in the south and the Americans are appealing to allies of the Atlantic Alliance, such as France and Germany, to commit more.

International Herald Tribune - France

Roger Cohen would like the 3200 German troops in Afghanistan to get more involved in the counterinsurgency fights. "The German Bundestag this month approved the extension of the German mission for another year. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has not visited Afghanistan, prefers talk of trendy eco-problems. Tenuous German support for deployment here is tied to the mission maintaining the 'caveats' with which it began: The army is here to help with security, reconstruction and good governance from a northern base. Building schools should be more central to ISAF than killing Taliban. Soft power trumps hard power. ... But this under-resourced mission, on which NATO's future hinges, needs switch-hitters. Rigid interpretation of mandates ill serves a changing situation. ... If, for example, the Germans, Italians and Spanish were more flexible, some of their troops could be detached to provide a strategic reserve for the stormy south." (25/10/2007)

La Vanguardia - Spain

The daily regrets the absence of decisions made on Thursday, October 25th. "Appeals for NATO countries to send more troops and reinforce contingents from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands were opposed by the majority of their allies and especially Germany and Spain, who stress that their troops are there to rebuild the country. The source of the problem is the United States' refusal of NATO's help at the beginning of the war when it intended to finish off the war within three months. Later the US requested NATO's aid to rebuild the country. ... But the situation in Afghanistan is degenerating day after day, and there is now open talk of an increase in violence. NATO members are nonetheless limiting their aid to the employment of instructors sent out to train Afghan troops." (26/10/2007)

The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom

"While, in strictly military terms, British forces and their allies are prevailing in their war to subjugate the Taliban, they are not enjoying the same degree of success in the other, and arguably more important, aspect of their mission - assisting the Afghan people in the reconstruction of their country", considers the daily. "The main reason for this lack of progress is the continuing failure of many Nato states to provide sufficient numbers of combat troops. ... The alliance has more than two million soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen at its disposal, but only a fraction of that number is available to participate in the most important mission in Nato's history because of the national caveats that the governments of many member states have imposed on their forces deploying to areas where they might be in danger of suffering casualties." (25/10/2007)

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

Martin Winter reflects on why NATO is failing to meet the international challenges it faces at present: "It can't be attributed to the lacking objective capability of the allied states. In their sum total they command such military strength that they could easily handle both Afghanistan and the NRF. But they don't, because they lack a common identity. Their hesitance to act reflects their insecurities about the future of the alliance. ... Indeed, NATO is right to fear starting a debate about strategy that it won't be able to end. The views of the different member states about what represents a security threat and what doesn't, as well as how to react, have become too disparate. The situation was straightforward when it was about how to face a common and mighty enemy. But since NATO started undertaking expeditions all over the world, it has become more complex." (26/10/2007)

» To the complete press review of Friday, October 26, 2007

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