Los Angelas Times
October 27, 2009
‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies,” observed Winston Churchill in 1945, “and that is fighting without them.” It’s a truth worth recalling as the Obama administration nears crucial decisions on Afghanistan.
American commentators often shortchange allied efforts in Afghanistan, ignoring the facts and insulting our friends. The European allies and Canada provide about half of the 73,000 troops in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, and they account for nearly 40% of Western combat deaths since 2001. Estonia, Denmark, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and Latvia have lost more soldiers per capita than has the United States.
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