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Afghanistan
Poland offers troops to boost NATOÂ’s Afghan force
2006-09-15
WARSAW: Poland said on Thursday it would send 1,000 troops to Afghanistan in the first offer since a NATO appeal for reinforcements, but it was unclear whether any would go to the dangerous south and none would go until February.

NATO’s top commander of operations James Jones said last week he wanted reinforcements of up to 2,500 in the south by the onset of the Afghan winter in a matter of weeks. Nations had failed at talks on Wednesday to respond with firm offers. “We know this will be a dangerous operation,” Poland’s Defence Ministry spokesman Leszek Laszczak said. “Poland understands that NATO will have to be more active in Afghanistan. We are well aware of that, and that is why we decided to increase the size of the force.”

Deputy Defence Minister Boguslaw Winid told Reuters that Poland had agreed with NATO that the bulk of the troops would go to the east of the country. Asked whether it could agree to send some to the south, he said that was a matter of discussion. “This is still a subject of discussions. We have to talk through all details with NATO and the final decision will be made by the president soon,” he said. “This is what we have agreed so far,” he added.
Posted by:Fred

#15  They joined the EU. That sealed it. Not that they had a choice.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-09-15 17:32  

#14  My take, flyover, is that Poland hasn't yet decided.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-09-15 16:45  

#13  It's sad to read your comments, Rafael.

If Poland were to fully embrace capitalism and the US, shedding the EU nanny-state socialism and soft power BS, there's no substantive reason why they'd ever be anybody's "jelly" again.

France and Germany have ceded all advantages they ever held and have decided to enthusiastically become irrelevant voyeurs.

I don't see why Poland couldn't step into the gap and grow into an economic powerhouse, perhaps even a modern military powerhouse, if only they had the vision and the stones. Collaboration with the US would accelerate both rather dramatically. Certainly they have the potential, but if they've decided they must remain a patsy, a meal for the power-hungry, then so be it...
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-15 16:39  

#12  Remoteman said I don't understand why we are not putting incredible pressure on the Germans and French to put substantial forces into Afghanistan.

answer: pressure + jelly = ?

The social arithmetic is left to the reader as an exercise.
Posted by: Hupolunter Craiger5022   2006-09-15 16:28  

#11  Earlier I said: ...instead of just sending warm letters of condolence (EU),

In the interest of fairness and objectivity... I entirely forgot about France's declaration on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the Weimar Triangle, that they would defend their allies with nuclear weapons, should the need arise. (Remember that?)

I don't recall Poland's response to this, if there ever was one...except that they didn't end up going to the summit. :-)
Posted by: Rafael   2006-09-15 15:43  

#10  That said, the Polish people are not as enamoured of America as once they were, I've been told.

That's true and it will get worse as more and more Poles get sick with EU fever (reports say 1 million Poles left Poland for work in western Europe). Last time I did some informal polling, it was roughly a 50/50 split. The standard of living will improve exponentially in Poland over the next few years, and this will be largely seen as a benefit of joining the EU. Score one for the EU.

Even among Poles capable of rational thought (read: those lacking the moonbat gene), the debate continues as to whether Poland's place is in Europe, rather than across the Atlantic.

The conservative coalition is fragile, and an early election can change Poland's stance altogether. And that's not even considering the divisions between the conservatives and the moonbat-prone ultra-conservatives within the government itself. See here for a good primer.

Otoh, Poland's relationship with the EU isn't (and won't be) entirley rosy either. Germany's economic partnering with Russia is indeed worrisome, as is the more recent Erica Steinbach debacle. The whole multi-cultural Europe thing is also being questioned in light of the foiled terrorist attacks, riots in France, etc. Poland has also suffered its share of casualties in Iraq, and there haven't been large protests demanding a pullout.

That's not to say all this will translate into more love for the US. But it will mean the Polish government will keep its options open...at least for now.
Posted by: Rafael   2006-09-15 15:29  

#9  Interesting thoughts, Rafeal. I worry about Poland, they've been the jelly in many an imperial sandwich.

Remoteman, there's a simple reason: Mother Hubbard has been busy on the French and German militaries. While they have many men on the rolls, neither has any significant expeditionary capability. They simply can't get more than a regiment or two far away from home without tapping out their logistics and finances.

Both armies were rebuilt in the 50s and 60s, and especially with the Germans, to do one thing: stop the Soviet hordes. When the Cold War ended the Euros collectively said, "Hooray, we can stop spending money on our militaries", and pretty much that's what they did.

So we shouldn't look to the French or Germans for much, even if they wanted to help (which they don't really), because they don't have it.
Posted by: Steve White   2006-09-15 14:28  

#8  I don't understand why we are not putting incredible pressure on the Germans and French to put substantial forces into Afghanistan. These are the supposed two powers of Europe and yet they can do nothing. Each should have no less than 15,000 troops on the ground fighting. Or at least 5,000 apiece fighting and 10,000 apiece fixing stuff and making schitzel / croque madame.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-09-15 14:19  

#7  That said, the Polish people are not as enamoured of America as once they were, I've been told. A Polish girlfriend of mine went back to visit family for the first time since she left a decade ago, and says they are starting to sound like Western Europeans -- Bush is stupid, Americans throwing their weight around, all that vicious nonsense. Poland is fighting EU hegemony on too many fronts, perhaps. Much as she enjoyed showing off her Kurdish husband and two stunningly beautiful children, she was glad to come home to America, where more people understand the reality of the situation.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-09-15 13:57  

#6  Do the math, apply quantum mechanics

Golly, I do love Rantburg!!
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-09-15 13:46  

#5  Interesting timing with the article below on the "release" of 1,000 Taliban from Paki-waki land, eh? Could be we're finally gearing up for a slaughter when the "release" occurs?
Posted by: BA   2006-09-15 13:44  

#4  There's a lot behind the story here. The Polish-German relationship has soured considerably since the conservatives took power in Poland and after the Germans "re-kindled" their relationship with Russia via the Baltic Sea gas pipeline (which will bypass Poland and allow Russia to put a squeeze on Poland, as they did to Ukraine).
The US is also offering some incentives in the form of a southern gas pipeline into Poland (in effect neutralizing Russia) in return for placing the ABM shield on Polish territory.

An ABM shield in Poland will surely piss-off Russia. The idiot Lukashenko is just to the east of the eastern Polish border. The EU is militarily weak, and are not exactly happy with their maverick Poland's antics. Do the math, apply quantum mechanics, and you can see why Poland is looking for a strong friend. One that can actually inflict damage (US) instead of just sending warm letters of condolence (EU), should the eventuality arise.

That said, this could prove to be a gamble for Poland. Like I said many times before, Poland is a row boat in the middle of the Atlantic heading towards America. Good idea? Time will tell.
(This reminds me of an 80's joke: A son asks his father, "So Dad, how far is this America anyway?" The father answers, "Stop talking so much and keep rowing".)
Posted by: Rafael   2006-09-15 12:56  

#3  yea, we wouldn't want the frenchies or germans in the distance, away from the battle, to feel any threat.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-09-15 02:02  

#2  Bless you Poland. You are the only one to stand up.
Posted by: newc   2006-09-15 00:51  

#1  What do Rzeczpospolita Polska, Česká republika, România, Република България have in common?

One word. Allies in WOI. Okay, 5 then.
Posted by: twobyfour   2006-09-15 00:37  

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