CRUNCH TIME

It seems nothing is immune to the economic crisis that is gripping the world right now, not even war. In fact in the case of Afghanistan, it is especially not resistant.

While the United States sorts out its own economy, the rest of the world have got one eye on what Washington will do and the other on how they can best help their own markets in the fallout.

Large-scale spending has to be diverted to propping up failing banks and guaranteeing comon deposits alike and cost cutting has to come from somewhere. A almost logical – and some would argue reasonable – area would be foreign aid.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is pleading with NATO allies in particular not to consider this course of action, calling it “shortsighted” to cut troop support or funding, in view of the threats that remain in Afghanistan.

NATO is tasked with underwriting US$17 billion aimed at doubling the Afghan security forces to 134,000. A significant sum particularly at this juncture in time but Gates wants US allies to take a more long-term view.

“There is a huge disproportion between what it costs to train and equip an Afghan soldier and what it costs to put an American soldier in Afghanistan, trained and equipped and sustained. It is an order of many orders of magnitude, [and that’s] true of other countries as well.”

“Over the long term, your interests in getting out [of Afghanistan] are served by making a contribution to expanding the Afghan army.”