Notwithstanding Canada’s well-publicized plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011—and despite the clearly expressed reluctance of France and Germany to involve themselves further—the Obama administration will ask NATO allies in the coming days to commit another 10,000 troops to the war, according to the New York Times. Good luck with that. Even if Afghanistan weren’t a political millstone for most of these governments (it is), concerns about corruption in Hamid Karzai’s government have leaders in NATO countries wondering exactly what sort of regime their soldiers are dying for. In Canada, renewed controversy about the handling of detainees back in 2006 may stoke opposition to an extension of the country’s commitment. For better or worse, the Americans may soon find rebuilding this chronically broken country a very lonely job.
