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March 1, 2010
Exclusive: European Stumbling Blocks in Afghanistan
Presidential Policy: Does It Make the Grade?, James Jay Carafano, PhD
The administration had another better than average week on the national security and foreign policy front. That is mainly because there was more good news on the Afghanistan-Pakistan front. Heritage regional expert Lisa Curtis reports, “After months of mounting frustration with Pakistan over its unwillingness to crack down on Afghan Taliban leaders finding sanctuary on its soil, Pakistan appears to be coming through with cooperation that could help turn the tide in the war in Afghanistan.” She adds,
“It is unclear why Pakistan is stepping up to the plate now on cracking down on the Afghan Taliban. Most observers believe Islamabad may be seeking to ensure it has a role in determining any potential settlement of the conflict. Others say it is partly a response to building U.S. pressure. President Obama appealed directly to the Pakistanis to crack down on the Afghan Taliban through a letter hand-delivered by National Security Advisor Gen. Jones to Pakistani President Zardari last fall. The letter coincided with revelations from the arrest of David C. Headley, a Pakistani-American who worked with the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in Pakistan to scout sites for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Headley was arrested by U.S. authorities in early October and a former Pakistani Army major was named in the U.S. affidavit as serving as Headley’s handler for the Mumbai terror attacks. Since then, the U.S. has repeatedly made the case to Pakistan that facilitating some terrorist groups while fighting others is counterproductive. It is possible this message is finally beginning to sink in.”
Another thing that appears to be sinking in is realization by the United States that it must do more to get the Europeans to pull their weight. Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates shocked a NATO audience that the alliance faces a “crisis” because Europe has largely demilitarized. An inadequate European effort in Afghanistan is a case in point. “With a few honorable exceptions (such as Britain, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands),” writes Heritage analyst Sally McNamara (who will soon depart on a research trip to Afghanistan), “NATO’s European members (especially France, Germany, Italy and Spain) have stinted on resources for the UN-mandated mission in Afghanistan. That is, they’ve not only provided too few troops (with too many national caveats) but also too few helicopters.”
Among the “caveats” that limit the use of European forces are (1) German troops are restricted to conducting operations in northern Afghanistan before nighttime and never more than two hours away from a well-equipped hospital; (2) Turkish troops are restricted to Kabul; (3) Troops from most southern European nations are barred from fighting in snow; and (4) One country prohibits troops from other nations from flying in its aircraft.
It is good news that the U.S. administration is losing patience with the lack of European effort. (There are notable exceptions including Britain, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands.) Now, the White House needs to do more to get the Europeans to change their demilitarizing ways.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is a leading expert in defense affaires, intelligence, military operations and strategy, and homeland security at the Heritage Foundation.
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