Keeping an eye on the Hague Posted by James Lamond

This coming week Europe is going to be full of summits.  Two of them- the NATO Summit and the UN Hague Donors conference- are going to focus a great deal on Afghanistan.  While much of the attention will be placed on the NATO Summit, it is important to keep an eye on the Hague- this is where some of the most important decisions will be made regarding the international effort in Afghanistan.

In his speech today, rolling out his Afghanistan Pakistan plan, President Obama said,

“At the same time, we will shift the emphasis of our mission to training and increasing the size of Afghan Security Forces, so that they can eventually take the lead in securing their country. That is how we will prepare Afghans to take responsibility for their security, and how we will ultimately be able to bring our troops home…

“To advance security, opportunity, and justice – not just in Kabul, but from the bottom up in the provinces – we need agricultural specialists and educators; engineers and lawyers. That is how we can help the Afghan government serve its people, and develop an economy that isn’t dominated by illicit drugs. That is why I am ordering a substantial increase in our civilians on the ground. And that is why we must seek civilian support from our partners and allies, from the United Nations and international aid organizations – an effort that Secretary Clinton will carry forward next week in the Hague.”

While most of the discussion about transatlantic dealings regarding Afghanistan is usually focused on arguments about troop levels and the two tiered alliance, there is really not much left to figure out.  European leaders even announced today that they will likely not commit to sending additional troops, but did indicate a willingness to commit more towards police training and financial aid.

A recent report from the European Council on Foreign Relations says,

"There are a number of ways Europe can make a difference in Afghanistan, aside from simply sending more troops. Although Member States have made different levels of commitment to the Afghan mission, European leaders seem to agree implicitly on what is needed: the opening of negotiations with “reconcilable” Taliban insurgents, more civilian reconstruction, a development-based approach to counter-narcotics, more training for the Afghan security forces to enable them to lead the counter-insurgency effort, and regional initiatives that include not only Pakistan but also India, Iran and China."

The two tiered alliance is not going away- its unfortuante but true.  And while the NATO summit is important it is not likely to result in any new European troop commitments- except from the UK.  Meanwhile, The EU has already announced that they plan to increase the $2.1 billion it offered between 2002 and 2008 at he Hague on Tuesday.  It is with training, policing, and development that the greatest amount of international cooperation can take place, and where Europe stands to play its biggest role.

 

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One thing we can count on with these conferences regarding the international effort in Afghanistan is that there won't be any Afghans present. But what do they know about Afghanistan? Important matters like this are for Europeans to decide, as they always have. Call it the white man's burden. Kipling did.

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