Maritime Morning - Andrew Krystal

America’s alliances took a big hit after September 11. Instead of enacting the NATO decree of an attack on one is an attack on all, then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that “The mission will define the coalition.” In other words, take a hike.

It was a mistake. And it was the beginning of the unraveling of U.S. diplomatic dominance and moral authority. Unilateralism played to Rumsfeld’s sense of power and its exercise. But it was not good policy. Ego often isn’t.

America went into Afghanistan and shut out others who wanted to help. Yes, Canucks were there for operation Anaconda and winning sniper awards there and Britain was involved, but where were the others?

For example, on 9/11, France proclaimed in a multi-point newspaper headline that we all were attacked on 9/11. Germany said many of the same things in their media. Russia? Russia is Russia — always grumbling, never trustworthy. But even they saw some political value to gain leverage with Chechnya.

You see, when our mission is up in 2009 we need other NATO members to do the heavy lifting too without crying about it. There is now huge political resistance in Europe to combat ops than would not have occurred if that other country — Iraq — had not been invaded.

Think about it, NATO finding its post-Soviet purpose and unity from the spring board of September 11th terrorism. NATO does that now, but an opportunity for true Western political unity was very real for a time. Instead we all fell back on the old refrain of America the cowboy and Europe the wallflower. It took Continental Europe so long and cost so much blood to change its mental-set that now it is filled with over-cautious sensibilities and reflexes while, by contrast, America behaves recklessly, shockingly, like a teenager — “sorry, Dad … that I drove too fast and wrecked the car!”

What would Afghanistan look like today if America chose to act in concert, off the bat, with her allies? Imagine if Afghanistan was the star, and not an American sideshow to Iraq! And in terms of the nature of the combatant, the Jihadists from Pakistan would be less; and the tactical training and inspiration for the Taliban would be less too (fewer, or no, IEDs and suicide bombers that are now being trained worldwide with motivation).

It started with Donald Rumsfeld’s missed political opportunity to use the sympathy vote from 9/11. Divide and not conquer.

What an ass.