A growing sense of crisis about NATO’s mission in Afghanistan crystallized in Washington early this year with the release of near-simultaneous reports on the outlook there – all sounding similar warnings to the effect that the campaign to restore government authority against insurgent Taliban forces and pacify the country has been neglected, under-resourced and damaged by conflicting views about the mission’s purpose.

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Jean-François Bureau, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO discussed NATO’s new strategic concepts as it looks ahead to the 2009 summit, which include prevention of terrorism and maritime awareness, cyber-defense, missile defense and energy security. He also discussed the significance of public diplomacy as NATO redefines its role in order to meet the new security challenges of the 21st century and transitions from a military defense organization into a broader regional security organization. H.E. Andreas Kakouris, Ambassador of Cyprus; H.E. Mark Miceli-Farrugia, Ambassador of Malta; H.E. Dominique Struye de Swielande, Ambassador of Belgium; and H.E. Adrian Vierita, Ambassador of Romania; as well as Gerald Pease, Executive Director, Department of Defense Policy Board on Federal Aviation Leo Michel, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University moderated the meeting.

At the time of the NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999, the premise of Western governments was that confronting ethnic cleansing was more important than respecting the international borders.

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A growing sense of crisis about NATO’s mission in Afghanistan crystallized in Washington early this year with the release of near-simultaneous reports on the outlook there – all sounding similar warnings to the effect that the campaign to restore government authority against insurgent Taliban forces and pacify the country has been neglected, under-resourced and damaged by conflicting views about the mission’s purpose.

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Robert E. HunterThe NATO allies are now being required to face the possibility that they may not prevail in Afghanistan. Facing new challenges from Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters, the Afghan government and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are by no means certain of success. Equally at risk are economic, political, and social developments to give the average Afghan a sense that supporting the government in Kabul and its ISAF allies is the best bet for the long haul. Militarily, NATO commanders have made it clear that they need more troops – at least two more combat brigades – and more helicopters. But they also need greater flexibility in the use of those forces that are available, and limitations here are posing difficulties at least as troubling as shortfalls in numbers.

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