There are many reasons for American withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO appeases the Russians, likes disarmament, and serves as a vehicle for disarmament and Russian interests. It has a huge headquarters that employs way too many officers-sinecurists. It has many members who are security liabilities for the U.S. (they could drag America into needless wars), like Albania and Slovenia.

But the most frequently discussed flaw of NATO is the free-riding in which many member states have been involved since 1991. This has displayed itself not only in equipment holdings and military spending amounts, but also in the role that alliance members play in Afghanistan.

Facts about the Afghan mission of NATO (the NATO contingent there is called ISAF):

-          Several NATO members, including Germany, Spain and Italy, have hamstrung their troops with caveats (e.g. bans on night operations) that make them unable to involve in any combat. [1]

-          Most NATO members have refused to comply with most American requests for sending more troops to Afghanistan. In January, everyone refused. This month, only Italy, Britain and Poland have agreed to send reinforcements to Afghanistan. Poland has decided to send 400 additional soldiers; the UK has decided to deploy an additional 2000 troops in Afghanistan. [2]

-          Although the UK has a far smaller economy and a far smaller population than Germany, its contingent in Afghanistan (currently numbering 8,800 soldiers) is more than two times bigger than the German contingent and, unlike the German detachment, it is not bound by any caveats.

-          Although the UK, France and Italy have almost equal economies and populaces, the UK, with a contingent of 8,800 troopers, has contributed way more than France or Italy. Italy has deployed only 2,350 soldiers to Afghanistan and France only 2,780. In fact, Britain has sent as many soldiers to Afghanistan as Germany, France and Italy COMBINED. Italian soldiers are hamstrung by caveats.

-          Poland, which has a populace equivalent to that of Spain, has sent over two times more soldiers to Afghanistan than has Spain, and unlike their Spanish counterparts, Polish soldiers are not bound by any caveats.

-          Canada, which is economically and demographically weaker than France, has sent as many soldiers to Afghanistan as France.

-          Australia, whose populace is smaller than that of Spain, has sent more soldiers to Afghanistan than Spain has, and has not bound its soldiers by any caveats. The same can be said about Holland.

-          The Canadian Prime Minister has often complained about the unfair share of the burden that Canada has had to shoulder, and because of this, he and the Dutch PM have decided to begin withdrawing their soldiers from Afghanistan. So, as a result of this unfair burden sharing, two NATO members have already decided to dump Afghanistan to fend for itself.

-          America alone has contributed 29,800 troopers to ISAF, which numbers a total of 61,000 soldiers, that is, 48%.

-          Four English-language countries – the USA, the UK, Canada (bilingual) and Australia – have contributed 67.85% of ISAF’s soldiers.

-          The above figures do not account for American troops in Afghanistan who do not belong to ISAF.

-          The tiny Danish Kingdom – one of the few meaningful contributors to ISAF – has contributed just 80 soldiers fewer than has Spain (Spain is home to 40 million people). But unlike the Spanish, who cower in the west of Afghanistan, the Danes are deployed in the deadly dangerous south of that country, together with Americans, Britons and Canadians.

-          Romania, with a populace and an economy smaller than that of Spain, has contributed more soldiers to Afghanistan than Spain has.

-          The British even once deployed their third in line to the throne, Prince Henry of Wales, in Afghanistan, at the same time Jean Sarkozy was busy working as a politician. Why doesn’t Jean Sarkozy or his brother Pierre go to Afghanistan? (At the same time Jimmy McCain was deployed – in Iraq.)

-          America has suffered the absolute majority of NATO casualties in Afghanistan – 599 of 1,051, i.e. 56%. [3]

-          The four English-language countries fighting in Afghanistan – America, the UK, Canada and Australia – have lost 876 soldiers in Afghanistan, that is, 83% of the NATO total.

-          Both the UK and Canada have individually lost more soldiers in Afghanistan than Italy, Germany, France, Spain and Poland combined.

-          The UK has lost five times more soldiers in Afghanistan than has France (152 versus 27). Spain has lost only 25 soldiers in that country, and yet it arrogantly demands the British territory of Gibraltar.

-          Although Germany has a larger population and a LARGER economy than Britain, the UK has lost 4 times more soldiers in Afghanistan than Germany.

-          The tiny Danish Kingdom has lost almost as many soldiers in Afghanistan as Spain.

These facts show that NATO is a useless two-tier alliance which serves as an institution which Germany, Spain, France, Italy and several other countries use to free-ride. NATO consists of two tiers: the first tier consists of those members who do shoulder a fair share of the burden, and the second consists of free-riders like Germany, Spain, France and Italy.

During the Jubilee NATO summit scheduled for next month, the US government should withdraw America from this useless, subversive, anti-American alliance.

Zbigniew Mazurak

March, 2009

[1] http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9933

[2] http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/03/more_british_troops_for_afghan.html

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan