BRITAIN

BRITAIN

The Daily Telegraph, London, Nov. 16: Two years ago, when Gordon Brown delivered his first foreign policy speech as Prime Minister at the Guildhall in London, he referred only fleetingly to what is now his most pressing preoccupation: the war in Afghanistan. That address, just a few months after his arrival in Downing Street, was intended to highlight Mr. Brown’s Atlanticist credentials as a “lifelong admirer of America.” He defined his outlook as “hard-headed internationalism” that sometimes requires equally hard-headed intervention to fulfil the first duty of government to protect and defend the country and its people from harm. For many years now, it has been apparent that the most immediate threat to life and limb has been posed by Islamists linked to al-Qaeda, either operating out of Afghanistan and Pakistan or taking their orders from there.

Medium-term priority

While the UK has many foreign-policy ambitions, this must remain the medium-term priority. It is also America’s; and Mr. Brown seems confident that when President Obama finally makes known the future dispositions of US arms in Afghanistan, the approach adopted by our two countries will be similar a counter-insurgency strategy aimed at bolstering the government of President Karzai and preventing al-Qaeda’s return, on the coat-tails of the Taliban, to their former haven. If the NATO mission in Afghanistan fails, it will encourage jihadis throughout the Middle East and the sub-continent, destabilise Pakistan and undermine the embryonic anti-clerical movement in Iran, a country whose nuclear ambitions remain the other great foreign policy headache. To that end, Mr. Brown’s proposed London conference in January, which would map out a timetable for transferring power to the Afghans from next year, is welcome. It is important to establish clearly how success will be recognised.

JAPAN

The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, Nov. 13: In a new assistance package for Afghanistan, the government has pledged up to $5 billion (about 450 billion yen) over five years for a range of civilian aid programs, such as job training for former Taliban fighters and enhancing the capabilities of the police force.

Deteriorating situation

The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating steadily. The United States is considering sending additional troops. Improving the situation with military power alone would seem like a tall order. That explains growing expectations by the United States and European nations for civilian aid from Japan to help rebuild the war-torn nation.

Because of the war raging in Afghanistan, Japan is unable to commit substantial human resources for aid activities. The government’s decision to provide financial support for civilian assistance is eminently reasonable.

The former coalition government led by the Liberal Democratic Party dispatched Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to the Indian Ocean to refuel the ships of allied forces targeting terrorists in Afghanistan. The new administration led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to discontinue the mission in January.