The One Time We WANT To See German Troops...
Germany’s refusal to send their Afghanistan-based troops into the volatile Southern provinces is symptom of much larger issues. By standing on the sidelines, the Germans join so-called NATO members Italy, Turkey, and that fierce-fighting nation France in supporting the War on Terror in words and little action.
While the Northern part of the war-torn nation cannot be considered ‘safe’ by any means, the decision to keep the much-needed military and equipment support away from those actually doing the fighting in the South – especially the United States, Canada, Britain, and others – has shown a growing rift in the NATO alliance over the issue. Purely political, the governing bodies in the countries in question have failed to get the message of the necessity of the war to their respective peoples.
They fear losing power over fully supporting an unpopular war (made unpopular because of the peoples lack of knowledge regarding the issue), and instead are trying to walk a fine line between fulfilling their obligation to NATO – and in fact, the Afghani people and the free world as a whole – and keeping hold of power from those in their own respective countries who are against military involvement.
In Canada, whose Armed Forces have been shoulder to shoulder on the front lines since the beginning, the public is falling into the ‘we support the troops but not the war’ routine which is, of course, a cop-out as well as an indication of trouble for the governing Conservatives.
No question the biggest friend and ally the Americans have right now is Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Canadian P.M. has received an official report on the Afghan situation, and while it clearly states that Canada’s military should stay in the fight past the Parliament-imposed withdrawal date of 2009, it implores NATO nations to either put up or shut up.
It sends a clear ultimatum not only to the Canadian government but to all NATO nations: Canada will not continue to carry the rest of the team. The cause is just and the battle is the right thing to do, but we won’t forever be satisfied sending our men and women into conflict while our ‘allies’ sit in the corner.
Half-assed efforts in a war will lead to defeat every time. NATO’s recent claim that the problem areas in Afghanistan constitute only about 10% of the nation and that the insurgence isn’t spreading mustn’t be construed by NATO nations as success, or as a reason to keep their troops on the periphery.
Likely, if the claim is true, it speaks to the courageous and sometimes unthinkable work and sacrifice by those who do not hesitate to fight the enemy face to face – namely, the men and women of the American, Canadian, and British militaries.
As for Germany, France, et al, as the old saying goes: crap or get off the pot.
While the Northern part of the war-torn nation cannot be considered ‘safe’ by any means, the decision to keep the much-needed military and equipment support away from those actually doing the fighting in the South – especially the United States, Canada, Britain, and others – has shown a growing rift in the NATO alliance over the issue. Purely political, the governing bodies in the countries in question have failed to get the message of the necessity of the war to their respective peoples.
They fear losing power over fully supporting an unpopular war (made unpopular because of the peoples lack of knowledge regarding the issue), and instead are trying to walk a fine line between fulfilling their obligation to NATO – and in fact, the Afghani people and the free world as a whole – and keeping hold of power from those in their own respective countries who are against military involvement.
In Canada, whose Armed Forces have been shoulder to shoulder on the front lines since the beginning, the public is falling into the ‘we support the troops but not the war’ routine which is, of course, a cop-out as well as an indication of trouble for the governing Conservatives.
No question the biggest friend and ally the Americans have right now is Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Canadian P.M. has received an official report on the Afghan situation, and while it clearly states that Canada’s military should stay in the fight past the Parliament-imposed withdrawal date of 2009, it implores NATO nations to either put up or shut up.
It sends a clear ultimatum not only to the Canadian government but to all NATO nations: Canada will not continue to carry the rest of the team. The cause is just and the battle is the right thing to do, but we won’t forever be satisfied sending our men and women into conflict while our ‘allies’ sit in the corner.
Half-assed efforts in a war will lead to defeat every time. NATO’s recent claim that the problem areas in Afghanistan constitute only about 10% of the nation and that the insurgence isn’t spreading mustn’t be construed by NATO nations as success, or as a reason to keep their troops on the periphery.
Likely, if the claim is true, it speaks to the courageous and sometimes unthinkable work and sacrifice by those who do not hesitate to fight the enemy face to face – namely, the men and women of the American, Canadian, and British militaries.
As for Germany, France, et al, as the old saying goes: crap or get off the pot.
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posted by Leigh Patrick Sullivan at 12:50 PM
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