"US increasingly takes lead in the war in Afghanistan" from the Washington Post reports that - despite all President Obama's alleged popularity among the allies - US troops are taking the lead in the war in Afghanistan.
Merkel Calls for NATO Strategy Rethink
British Army Chief Ready To Send 2,000 Troops to Afghanistan from Times of London
President Obama's decision to deploy an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan this year will bring the number of foreign troops there to nearly 90,000, more than two-thirds of them Americans. Although many will technically report to NATO commanders, the U.S. force will increasingly be in charge.
Even as the U.S. military expands its control over the battlefield, the number of American civilian officials will also grow by at least 50 percent -- to more than 900 -- under the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy Obama will announce as early as tomorrow, according to administration officials. American diplomats and development experts plan to spread into relatively peaceful western and northern regions of Afghanistan that until now were left to other NATO governments. New U.S. resources and leadership also will be brought to bear over critical issues such as counter-narcotics efforts and strengthening local government institutions.
U.S. policy in Pakistan, a major component of the new strategy, is largely unilateral. The European Union has an aid and trade relationship with the country, but few European governments outside of Britain have strong involvement there.
Obama has to face some difficulties with the leaders of other countries. I think the time period will be about a year.
Posted by: womens perfume | March 26, 2009 at 11:05 PM