POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL
NATO always needs new mission statements because the organization is obsolete, yet it survives as though it still had a large purpose.
Its only legitimate purpose - from an international point of view - was the Cold War.
The hard truth about NATO today is that it is only a mechanism for American presence and dominance in Europe - all the rest is just window-dressing, and that is why it is kept alive and looking for purposes.
Afghanistan is a perfect example of how the U.S. uses and abuses NATO. It is the only country that cares a fig about Afghanistan, but the token forces from a number of countries give it a plausible show of international purpose.
Were Afghanistan a genuine threat, NATO countries would put half a million troops there in short order.
Only the U.S. keeps a large force mired there. It is indeed the dog who has captured something with which it does not know what to do.
