Status: 21.10.2021 11:19 a.m.
The NATO defense ministers have a lot to deal with at their two-day meeting: the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, the balance sheet of the operation. In addition to self-criticism on the agenda: the recent upheavals with Russia.
“Is the Trump era really over?” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was amazed that the question came from a US journalist at the press conference before the Defense Ministers’ meeting. Otherwise it is more likely to be provided by Europeans. He wanted to know whether the Defense Minister from Washington would still be welcomed with open arms by the Allies in Brussels. For seconds, Stoltenberg searched for words that should sound reassuring: You can see, he said, that the US government is heavily involved in rebuilding transatlantic relations.
Allianz critics see it differently. The honeymoon is over, the enthusiasm that the move from Donald Trump to Joe Biden sparked at NATO has given way to disillusionment. One reason: the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Shouldn’t the USA, the undisputed leading power of Allianz, have seen the drama at Kabul airport come?
The question will be raised when defense ministers meet today. The defeat should be relentlessly cleared up, consequences should be drawn, Stoltenberg promises. “It is important to learn lessons thoroughly and with a clear vision,” he announced before the meeting with the ministers. The issue of exit strategy is of particular importance: How do you get out of such an assignment?
Coming to terms with Afghanistan without a public?
Stoltenberg himself sees the lack of a clear objective as the main problem. He explicitly protects NATO: “In the beginning we had the limited mandate to eliminate al Qaeda and fight international terrorism.” After that, the mandate was expanded and the international community set more and more goals: “nation building.” “, building a democratic and stable Afghanistan.
However, that does not explain why there was still no open debate about preparations for an orderly withdrawal at several NATO ministerial meetings in the spring. And then the amazement at the quasi-surrender of the Afghan army – how can you explain why the military alliance did not correctly assess the situation until the very end?
The questions should come on the table. What of it will be made public, however, is open – so far Stoltenberg has tried to put the successes first: “For twenty years we have prevented Afghanistan from becoming a haven for international terrorists again.”
The Afghanistan balance sheet should be ready by the end of the year; according to NATO information, it is roughly in the middle of the process of coming to terms with it. It is about lessons from which conclusions should be drawn afterwards.
New faults with Russia
The defense ministers today don’t just want to deal with self-criticism. It is also about the most important opponent of the alliance: Russia. Relationships have been at rock bottom for years. They have practically frozen since NATO canceled eight Russian diplomats’ accreditation two weeks ago.
“They were Russian secret service employees,” says Stoltenberg, justifying the measure. The Allies were all very concerned about a series of “malicious operations” by the secret service agents, which had developed into a “pattern of Russian behavior”.
The defense ministers want to advise whether and how the talks with Moscow can be restarted. The NATO-Russia Council could be the appropriate forum for this – but so far, according to NATO, Moscow has refused all invitations. Instead, the Kremlin announced earlier this week that it would cease the work of the Russian mission to NATO in Brussels. The previous NATO military mission in Moscow is also to be closed according to Russian wishes.