NATO: In Afghanistan For The Long Haul

After NATO finessed a solution to a membership dilemma, alliance members made progress on April 3 during their Bucharest summit on strengthening their military commitment in Afghanistan.

During a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hailed the alliance for renewing its commitment to Afghanistan's security, and for recalibrating its tactical approach. This new approach is embodied in a four-page "strategic vision" document, which will act as a guide for future reconstruction/counter-insurgency operations in the country.

"It will set out the path to a new phase in our Afghanistan engagement – what used to be a predominantly military effort will begin to shift towards a more balanced approach, with a stronger emphasis on civilian efforts and Afghan ownership," de Hoop Scheffer said in Bucharest.

The strategic vision document calls for a "shared long-term commitment" for the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. It also outlines support for enhanced Afghan leadership and responsibility in the reconstruction process, greater coordination of civilian and military reconstruction efforts, and a stronger commitment to building an 80,000-strong Afghan army by 2010.

Karzai welcomed the NATO initiative, saying that if the plan is "addressed fully, [it] will bring about the security the Afghan people are seeking." During the summit, Karzai extended an offer to have Afghan forces assume responsibility for security in Kabul, thereby, in theory, freeing up NATO troops for operations in outlying provinces.

NATO leaders politely rebuffed the offer, the unstated consensus being that Afghan forces are not yet up to the task of ensuring security in Kabul. De Hoop Scheffer emphasized that a NATO presence in Afghanistan "will be necessary tomorrow and in the long-term."

In Bucharest, Karzai sought to dispel the impression that reconstruction efforts had lost momentum amid a revived Islamic militant insurgency. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At his news conference, he bristled at the suggestion that Afghanistan was a failed state, insisting that the country had made significant progress since the Taliban movement was toppled in late 2001. "Afghanistan was a destroyed state, completely destroyed state, from the institutions to the physical infrastructure to all other things that matters in a state," Karzai said, referring to the country's situation in 2001. He went on to complain that reconstruction successes rarely make "headline stories."

On a substantive level, de Hoop Scheffer praised NATO members for answering a call to increase troop levels. France, for example, announced that it would dispatch 700 troops to eastern Afghanistan, a move that will enhance counter-insurgency efforts. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some NATO allies that are unwilling to commit extra troops for potential combat roles have agreed to contribute cash and weaponry to a "trust fund" that would help NATO increase the pressure on radical Islamic insurgents. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown indicated that alliance members would allocate at least 18 new advanced helicopters to Afghan operations.

These reinforcement commitments prompted Canada to announce that it would keep its 2,500-strong troop contingent in the country. Earlier, officials in Ottawa had cautioned that they might withdraw the Canadian contingent until it was reinforced. Canadian troops, stationed in Kandahar Province, the main area of Islamic militant activity, have experienced a sharp rise in casualties in recent months.

"Today nations stepped forward to increase troops in Afghanistan substantially, and to answer Canada's call for reinforcement," de Hoop Scheffer said at a joint press conference.

The announcements on Afghanistan came after NATO members agreed to disagree on a membership timetable for Georgia and Ukraine. The United States and Great Britain had led efforts to award the two states with membership action plans that would spell out specific requirements for membership. Germany, France and most other Western European states opposed an immediate offer of MAPs to Georgia and Ukraine. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

To resolve the impasse, NATO issued a clear commitment to accepting Georgia and Ukraine as NATO members – at an unspecified time in the future. De Hoop Scheffer explained that because of "outstanding questions" concerning both countries' membership drives, a period of intensive engagement was needed. The secretary general indicated that NATO officials would review the membership matter in December, but would not specify whether Tbilisi and Kyiv might receive a MAP at that time.

Speaking at a news conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implied that the question of Georgia's and Ukraine's accession to NATO was no longer a matter of