Realizing that he was wrong about our victory in Iraq, President Obama has sought to make his military mark in Afghanistan with the help of NATO allies. Unfortunately, his efforts fall short:
Gordon Brown was the only one to offer substantial help. He offered to send several hundred extra British soldiers to provide security during the August election, but even that fell short of the thousands of combat troops that the US was hoping to prise from the Prime Minister.Just two other allies made firm offers of troops. Belgium offered to send 35 military trainers and Spain offered 12. Mr Obama’s host, Nicolas Sarkozy, refused his request.
…
Germany, Italy, Poland, Canada and Denmark said that they were considering their positions. After a meeting with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, Mr Obama tried to apply further moral pressure. “I am sure that Germany, as one of the most important leaders in Europe, will be stepping up to the plate and helping us to get the job done.”
This isn’t being widely reported by the mainstream media as part of the President’s hyped European G-20 tour. Why? Because it makes Obama look bad. But why aren’t our European allies stepping up to the plate on Afghanistan? When Poland, Canada, and Denmark, typically our staunchest allies, still have to “think about it,” then there’s something very wrong.
Has the threat of the Taliban and its terror-support network diminished? Hardly. In fact, intelligence and military analysts have documented a growing Taliban.
Is the world just too caught up with the global economic recession? Maybe so, but why didn’t these allies offer a few troops even as a gesture of support in the Afghan engagement?
The heart of the problem is that these world leaders see right through President Obama. They see that he was wrong about Iraq, so what makes them to be confident about his strategy in Afghanistan? They know that the President lacks foreign policy experience (they still remember his first European tour as a presidential candidate) and is trying to find a footing in that area. I think they believe that Obama is just politicking this to strengthen his reputation at home and abroad.
NATO’s response would certainly have been different if it were President Bush.
