Troubled Relationships Hamper the Fight to Save Afghanistan
February 7, 2008
Tensions between the U.S. & U.K. and their European allies have created grave concerns about the future of the Afghan nation. The problem is centered on Afghanistan’s troubled southern region, where, according to General Daniel McNeill, “the fight against Taliban resistance has been increasingly deadly, and the Europeans have balked” (AP).
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sent “sharply worded letters” to his counterparts in Europe, stressing the need for them to fulfill their commitments as allies in the effort to stabilize the Afghan government. The complaint is that our allies in NATO have failed to send much-needed troops to southern Afghanistan, considered to be the most dangerous region in that country. Before leaving more a meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend a NATO meeting, Gates told the Senate that he would continue to be “a nag on the issue.” He also said that he fears NATO is on the path to becoming a “two-tiered alliance” with “some allies willing to fight and die to protect people’s security, and others who are not.”
The seriousness of the situation was outlined in a study led by the Atlantic Council, spearheaded by former NATO Commander General James Jones. The study reported that “if NATO cannot provide new forces to fight in the south, its credibility will be dealt a powerful blow, throwing into doubts its future cohesion and hence viability…. Make no mistake, NATO is not winning in Afghanistan.”
Secretary Gates stated that part of the problem European nations are facing is that they are unable to overcome domestic opposition to sending troops into harm’s way: “they have to be more courageous,” he said, and contribute to fighting Taliban forces as well as investing in rebuilding and humanitarian assistance.
