Europe Needs No Part in Doomed Afghan War

[laststeamtrain]

Europe Needs No Part in Doomed Afghan War
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090423_europe_needs_no_part_in_doomed_afghan_war/
Posted on Apr 23, 2009

By William Pfaff

When President Barack Obama was in Strasbourg, France, for the NATO “summit” at the beginning of April, he made a plea for more European soldiers for Afghanistan.

He hasn’t had much of a reply—65 men with two F-16s promised by Belgium; 12 trainers and a small troop contingent (probably from the gendarmerie) for the elections in Afghanistan next month, with a larger French contribution to the new, combined European Gendarmerie Force that has already dispatched 300 to 400 men and women, all to improve Afghanistan’s own national police, so far without conspicuous success.

This suggests that the Europeans think the Afghan adventure a waste, or of little importance to Europe, if not a danger, but that the Americans have to be humored. Certainly, few took it seriously when Obama told his NATO audience that Europe is more menaced than ever by al-Qaida. Why? He recalled to them their geography: Europe is closer to Afghanistan than is the United States, hence easier for the al-Qaida terrorists and the waves of bearded Afghan militants to reach.

But why? That is always the question. Why should Afghan Muslim fundamentalists want to attack Europeans? The British feel threatened, but it nearly always turns out that the people arrested for plotting against Britain are disgruntled British citizens of Pakistani descent, born in London or Manchester immigrant housing estates, usually unemployed and embittered.

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Europe should leave bad enough alone in this situation, and hope that President Obama is too intelligent not to work his way out of this war. But most of the bureaucratic forces, and those of institutionalized foreign policy opinion in Washington, seem committed to making overseas contingency operations a permanent feature of American life. The allies are justified in taking a pass.

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http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090423_europe_needs_no_part_in_doomed_afghan_war/

[MADem]

1. They'll save themselves for the War in Pakistan, maybe? nt