Why don’t some NATO members wish to send more of their troops into harm’s way in Afghanistan? According the editorial board of the NRC Handelsblad of The Netherlands, the issue is the ‘War on Terror’ itself. The editorial says in part, ‘The fact is that terrorism as an entity doesn’t exist. … contemporary terrorism is really just a fluid method of combat that one cannot bomb out of existence. … It’s even questionable whether in an analytical sense, one can place the Taliban in Afghanistan within the realm of international terrorism.’
EDITORIAL
Translated By Meta Mertens
February 11, 2008
The Netherlands – NRC Handlesblad – Original Article (Dutch)
According to the American Government, the future of NATO lies in Afghanistan. During the annual Conference on Security Policy in Munich, U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates rang the alarm bell. According to Gates, NATO mustn’t become a two-tiered alliance where first class members militarily pull the chestnuts out of the fire for second class member states, while the second class members stand idly by .
Unlike last month , Gates didn’t take aim at the partners for their inability to wage a guerilla war. This time the Secretary took Europe to task more broadly. In the U.S. after 9/11, Gates said everyone’s eyes were opened. But “many people on this Continent may not comprehend” the magnitude of the direct threat to European security. If Afghanistan falls, the dominoes will fall in Pakistan and beyond. According to Gates, if NATO triumphs over terrorism in Afghanistan, the victory of democracy will be on the horizon. The remarks of the American Secretary in Munich have been interpreted as an attempt to pressure the Federal Republic [of Germany]. Economically, Germany is the second largest NATO partner, but militarily it doesn’t bear a corresponding responsibility. That said, this doesn’t describe NATO’s deeper systemic problem.
Since 9/11, NATO has indeed been waging a war against terrorism. There is, however, more to it. The fact is that terrorism as an entity doesn’t exist. Terrorist groups like the People’s Will in 19th century Russia or the Red Army Faction in Germany didn’t keep accurate books either, but contemporary terrorism is really just a fluid method of combat that one cannot bomb out of existence.
It is even questionable whether in an analytical sense, one can place the Taliban in Afghanistan within the realm of international terrorism. The Taliban are also part of a regional guerrilla movement …
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