Major General Jim Molan. Photo: Andrew TaylorAfghanistan Not Mission Impossible -- The Age
THE head of NATO, General John Craddock, recently said that NATO's mission in Afghanistan was being undermined by troop shortages and by operational restrictions on the use of troops.
National restrictions ensure that national interests are met but can result in making troops almost unusable. Heavily restricted troop deployments were referred to in Iraq as "self-licking ice-creams", impressive in themselves but of no real use. And if European nations are wavering, why should Australia put its soldiers' lives on the line? There are many reasons.
First, our involvement in Afghanistan is in our own interest. The struggle in Afghanistan is part of a global struggle. Australia is an interdependent part of this world and, as a rich and privileged country, has obligations. Failure would have implications for our region, particularly for Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world and a fragile new democracy.
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