The American defence secretary, Robert Gates, has urged European governments to make the case to their people that the war in Afghanistan is necessary to defeat violent Islamic extremism. Mr Gates, speaking at a security conference in Munich, warned that the threat was not going to go away.
Some NATO allies, he said, could not enjoy the luxury of opting for civilian operations, while others bore a disproportionate share of the fighting and dying.
That would turn NATO into a two-tier alliance - and destroy it.
Monday, 11.February.2008
