The US, NATO and AfPak

Richard Holbrooke talks some pretty unilateral turkey--from Spiegel Online:

The New American Determination

Richard Holbrooke, the new US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, wants to explain Obama's policy on Afghanistan to NATO and the EU. He gave the first details at a conference this weekend in Brussels. One thing is certain: The operation will become more American -- and probably bloodier.

They were just a couple of words, but they said a lot. Richard Holbrooke was sitting on the stage of the Brussels Forum, addressing high-ranking Europeans and Americans who had gathered at the invitation of the German Marshall Fund. You could have heard a pin drop in the ballroom as the recently appointed US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan explained the new American strategy in those countries. Holbrooke sighed as he said that this is one of the conflicts where US forces were furthest away from their supply routes. "We Americans," he said in reference to this far-off war. Then he quickly caught himself and added, almost sheepishly, "and NATO."

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US Marines in Afghanistan: The operation is set to become more American.

Indeed, the defense alliance seemed almost peripheral during Holbrooke's presentation. Admittedly, he referred to a comprehensive Western strategy, the link between civil society and the military and the need for a more intelligent approach towards the insurgents.

But his underlying signal was one of American determination. The Americans are about to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan [link in original] and in doing so they're unlikely to pay much attention to NATO structures.

Holbrooke is scheduled to outline the new American strategy in the region to representatives from the NATO and EU on Monday [see this story--bit of damp squib it seems]. The White House has commissioned a variety of secret strategy scenarios on this, and the result appears to be that the Afghanistan mission is evolving more than ever into a US mission. And it's likely to become -- at least initially -- an even bloodier operation...

He poured scorn on speculation that the West may be preparing a "minimalist" approach to Afghanistan that focuses more narrowly on security and counter-terrorism. "There's nothing minimalist about trying to help a country protect itself against a group of people who are in turn the outer rim of an international terrorist movement," said Holbrooke. "It's a daunting task. Let no one underestimate the difficulty of it. The people of Europe, and the people of the United States, have to decide whether it matters to make this effort."..

Holbrooke's approach also calls for a new focus on Pakistan, which many of the militant fighters in the region use as a safe haven for operations in Afghanistan. "We must recognize that the heart of the threat to (the West) comes from the people in western Pakistan," he said. "You can't separate the civilian and the military aspects of the war in Afghanistan. And you can't succeed in Afghanistan if you don't solve the problem of western Pakistan."

Holbrooke said that Congress is hoping for more European support on Afghanistan as a result of the financial crisis. "Every member of Congress I've talked to, (says) 'We'll do our part but we hope the Europeans will do more on their side, as well.'"..

Will more military assistance in Afghanistan from the Europeans also become a priority once again? EU diplomats seem to assume that at the NATO summit in early April, the Americans will not demand new troop contributions, but will want to concentrate on taking care of the hard fighting by themselves. "The American review of our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan certainly recognizes the importance of policing, of a wide range of activities that are needed to strengthen the institutions in Afghanistan, ... and that is part of the German contribution," Anne-Marie Slaughter, the newly appointed planning chief for the US State Department, told SPIEGEL ONLINE.

But for how long can the political truce hold if the Americans are concentrating their efforts in the hotly contested southern part of the country while German and many other European soldiers participate primarily as police trainers in the secure north? Robert Kagan, a conservative journalist and foreign policy advisor to John McCain during the last election, warns: "While the Americans increase their troop levels, others draw back ... It is not fair if some do the fighting and dying."..

Holbrooke warned that governments had to make it clear to their populations that the US and other countries are fighting in this distant land because it directly affects their national security interests. It was a line not unlike words uttered once by Peter Struck, who was German defense minister under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and famously said that Germany's security "is also defended in the Hindu Kush."

That was a long time ago, though, and political backing for the mission has since diminished considerably in Berlin. As German parliamentarian Polenz commented: "If you quote this phrase (today), people smile at you. They don't understand it."

Neither do most Canadians; the government has hardly done much to get the point across.

Update: President Obama himself talks some real turkey:

Obama: US will stay on offense in Afghanistan

Nearing completion of a revamped strategy in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama on Tuesday [March 24] said the United States will "stay on the offensive" to dismantle terrorist operations in the country even as it rethinks its goals in trying to end the seven-year-old war.

The president did not divulge details of his administration's war review, which he said is not yet complete. It is expected to be unveiled as soon as this week.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Obama said the threat of al-Qaida and its terrorist affiliates has not gone away. As a consequence, he said, "it's important for us to stay on the offensive." Yet he emphasized that the U.S, working with its coalition partners, cannot simply win the war militarily.

"My expectations would be that over the next several years [emphasis added], you are going to see a much more comprehensive strategy, a more focused strategy, and a more disciplined strategy to achieve our common goals," Obama said after meeting with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd [see second part here]...

...I think that the American and the Australian people people also recognize that in order for us to keep our homeland safe, and in order to maintain our way of life and ensure order in the international scene, we can't allow vicious killers to have their way [emphasis added--I don't think the Canadian people feel the same way]," he said. We're going to do what's required to make sure that does not happen."

Sort of reminds me of a retired chief of the defence staff. I'm not much reminded of our prime minister. Ah, for the good old days when there really was an Obama Jack:

...
"Controlled anger, given what's happened, is an appropriate response," NDP Leader Jack Layton said. "We have a very committed, level-headed head of our armed forces, who isn't afraid to express the passion that underlies the mission that front-line personnel are going to be taking on.

"A bit of strong language in the circumstances, I don't find that to be wrong."..