The most ambitious, the Dutch politician wrote, “in terms of the strategic distance from our home countries, in terms of the complexity of the challenges we face in Afghanistan, and in terms of the multiple roles the alliance must take on.”

The imperialist military alliance will beef up its force in Afghanistan from 10,000 to 16,000 to take on the command in the south this spring. They will operate alongside the U.S.-led forces, which will maintain a separate command and be reduced from 19,000 to 16,500. The U.S.-led NATO alliance was formed after World War II, codifying Washington’s place as the top military and economic power in Europe and as part of facing off the Soviet Union. Since the end of the Cold War, Washington has pressed to transform the alliance toward taking military action worldwide.

“The alliance will probably be called on in the future to take on other, similar challenges,” de Hoop Scheffer wrote. “That is one reason why it is so important to get this one right.” NATO’s mission in Afghanistan is important, he said, because “none of us can afford to let it slip back into chaos and become once again a breeding ground for international terrorism.”

“Let there be no doubt,” he said. “ISAF forces will not go to the south with one arm tied behind their back.” ISAF stands for International Security Assistance Force, the name of NATO’s troops in Afghanistan. “NATO forces will have the rules of engagement and the equipment they need to deal head-on with any dangers to their security or to their mission. If potential attackers threaten NATO personnel or their ability to do their job…then ISAF will be able to undertake robust military action.”
 
 
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