NRC Handelsblad, The Netherlands

'War on Terror' Strikes

at the Heart of NATO …

"Since 9/11, NATO has indeed been waging a war against terrorism. There is, however, more to it. The fact is that terrorism as an entity doesn't exist. … contemporary terrorism is really just a fluid method of combat that one cannot bomb out of existence. … It is even questionable whether one can place the Taliban in Afghanistan within the realm of international terrorism."

EDITORIAL

Translated By Meta Mertens

February 11, 2008

The Netherlands - NRC Handelsblad - Original Article (Dutch)

According to the American Government, the future of NATO lies in Afghanistan. During the annual Conference on Security Policy in Munich, U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates rang the alarm bell. According to Gates, NATO mustn't become a two-tiered alliance where first class members militarily pull the chestnuts out of the fire for second class member states, while the second class members stand idly by .

Unlike last month , Gates didn't take aim at the partners for their inability to wage a guerilla war. This time the Secretary took Europe to task more broadly. In the U.S. after 9/11, Gates said everyone's eyes were opened. But "many people on this Continent may not comprehend” the magnitude of the direct threat to European security. If Afghanistan falls, the dominoes will fall in Pakistan and beyond. According to Gates, if NATO triumphs over terrorism in Afghanistan, the victory of democracy will be on the horizon. The remarks of the American Secretary in Munich have been interpreted as an attempt to pressure the Federal Republic [of Germany]. Economically, Germany is the second largest NATO partner, but militarily it doesn't bear a corresponding responsibility. That said, this doesn't describe NATO's deeper systemic problem.

Since 9/11, NATO has indeed been waging a war against terrorism. There is, however, more to it. The fact is that terrorism as an entity doesn't exist. Terrorist groups like the People's Will in 19th century Russia  or the Red Army Faction in Germany  didn't keep accurate books either, but contemporary terrorism is really just a fluid method of combat that one cannot bomb out of existence. 

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It is even questionable whether in an analytical sense, one can place the Taliban in Afghanistan within the realm of international terrorism. The Taliban are also part of a regional guerrilla movement which was primarily inspired by al-Qaeda. “Al-Qaedaism” as an ideology, which Gates mentioned in Munich, has no headquarters and cannot be  compared with the communism promoted by the Kremlin. This difference may partly explain why “the war on terror” has claimed so few successes since 2001. Truth be told, the military mission in Afghanistan has not met expectations. To say the least.

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None of these observations should obscure the fact that any return of the Taliban to Kabul would be a threat to NATO. That alone is reason enough for NATO not give up its role as a military instrument in the asymmetrical battle against terrorist movements. But NATO's future doesn't primarily depend whether it remains a militarily cohesive alliance. NATO only has reason to exist when there are the outlines of a unified political analysis and the members are able to reach consensus on what its mission should be. [To reach such a consensus] there is little time left. To be exact, ten weeks until NATO's April summit in Bucharest.

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[WORLDMEETS.US Posted February 15, 9:45pm]