News from Thursday, October 8, 2009

Körber Policy Paper by Stefan Kornelius: Germany’s Mission in Afghanistan

Körber Policy Paper No. 8, another essay in edition Körber Stiftung’s “Standpunkte” series, is now available in English (“The Undeclared War. Germany’s Self-Deceit in Afghanistan”). The author, Stefan Kornelius, has been Foreign Editor of “Süddeutsche Zeitung” since 2000. According to Kornelius, Germany is fighting a war in Afghanistan, but one is not allowed to call it a “war”. This is “the grand political self-deceit to which Germany has succumbed.” The mission, which once began as a stabilizing operation for the protection of the central government, has turned into a veritable struggle for survival for the new Afghanistan. The author argues that whereas the world community recognizes that its credibility would be at stake if it were now to leave the country in a panic-stricken manner, Germany refuses to see this drama. “As if they were part of a conspiracy of silence, the German government, members of the German Parliament and the military leadership of the German Army have joined forces in order to avoid having to deal with the unpleasant problems of the mission.” Kornelius calls for a much more honest German policy towards Afghanistan, which includes an honest strategy, honest policymaking, an honest mandate and an honest goal. For example, it would be honest to admit that the relatively stable north of the country does not actually need so many soldiers in the camps, that the instructions issued to the soldiers lead to absurd military situations, and that the German Tornado warplanes in Afghanistan are operationally useless.

Statements and Policy Papers

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