The German Free Democrats, expected to form a center-right
coalition with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU amalgam if current polls
hold true in the upcoming election, have called for a speedy exit
from Afghanistan.
After ignoring the issue of Afghanistan
for much of the federal election campaign so far, the Free
Democrats, an opposition party that hopes to join Chancellor
Angela Merkel's
conservatives in the next government, have called for a plan to
bring home the 4,500 German troops serving in the NATO
force there.
In doing so, the party has broken ranks with most of the major
parties, which have tried to keep the issue of Germany's
controversial Afghan presence out of the public eye.
"The next government must formulate a precise plan that spells
out how a pull-out of the German Army over the coming years
would look," Jürgen Koppelin, a federal legislator and defense
expert for the Free Democrats, said in a newspaper interview
Wednesday. "Our soldiers in Afghanistan and their families need
to know that the mission will end."
By raising the issue now, the Free Democrats may be trying to
show their foreign policy credentials, particularly since they
hope to take over the Foreign Ministry if they win enough votes
to form the next coalition with Mrs. Merkel, who is favored to
retain the chancellery. So far, foreign policy issues have
played no role in this campaign, which has yet to get going in
force.
The Free Democrats have also tapped into the public mood, which
may win them more votes.
The Obama administration may be hoping that the Euriopeans will
do more in Afghanistan, but they almost certainly will be doing
not just less, but far less, over the next year or two.
John Thacker| 8.21.09 @ 10:16AM
Oh, surely President Obama has to go over there and be not-Bush and everyone in Europe will swoon and change their minds, right?
Tim| 8.21.09 @ 10:27AM
Hope und Change!