16 October 2008

Gates Discussing Hard Reality in Afghanistan

According to Secretary Gates, there are some issues in the Afghanistan coalition and the efforts there:
The international effort in Afghanistan is falling short, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Wednesday, stressing the need for a better integrated approach to stabilizing the country.
'These efforts today, however well-intentioned and even heroic, add up to less than the sum of the parts,' said Gates in a speech prepared for delivery to the US Institute for Peace.
His remarks came amid growing US fears that an upsurge of insurgent violence and corruption in Afghanistan is threatening the viability of an already weak central government.
'To be successful, the entirety of the NATO alliance, the European Union, NGOs, and other groups -- the full panoply of military and civilian elements -- must better integrate and coordinate with one another and also with the Afghan government,' he said.

We've chronicled this a lot already:
The French
The Germans
The Brits

By: Brant

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