Germany in Afghanistan: Go Big, or Go Home

Malte Lehming, Der Tagesspiegel (in German) | June 26, 2009

German politicians must address public questions about NATO involvement in Afghanistan. ++ They must recognize that the war entails risks, and costs - including German lives - and communicate to Germans that they owe their soldiers respect, empathy and support. ++ Finally, they must admit that wars are not won half-heartedly:  keeping the number of troops low increases the necessity for air strikes, which increases the number of civilian casualties, intensifying Afghan sympathies towards the Taliban, and thus danger to the troops.