Country Zero
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: BBC World Business Report
Topic: Politics
While Finland ponders about it’s NATO membership, here is an example of a tricky NATO membership issue:

Uruzgan, a rugged region in Afganistan, is a stronghold of the hardline Islamic militia.

"Taliban-led insurgents are active in much of southern and eastern Afghanistan and frequently launch attacks on the U.S.-backed government despite the deployment of thousands of U.S. forces to hunt
them down."

The Hague, yesterday.

The Dutch government listens to experts about Uruzgan, as they plan to send 1200 soldiers to the region they claim they wish to 'help build up again'. Some say this is all too rosy a picture and the soldiers should not go at all.

Sceptics have good reason to feel unsettled: those in control of the decision refuse to share the report upon which the decision to go was based.

"That is not for nothing" said one dutch journalist who had just returned from Afganistan and helped to inform the government on the matter.

This has now sparked so much controversy in the Netherlands that even Kofi Annan and the Australian Prime minister are now urging the dutch to 'go'.

Democracy in Action
Another debate will take place on the matter in the Hague on the 2nd of February.

According to several different polls made by national newspapers, an overwhelming majority of the dutch population is against the sending of dutch troops to afganistan.

"After four years of battle the Americans have not succeeded in subduing terrorism in this province.

The Netherlands won?t be able to succeed in that either with a reconstruction mission that is not even aimed at re-establishing security.

But if there is no security, then there can be no reconstruction either. Therefore this mission ? all good intentions notwithstanding - is doomed to fail."

Have also a look at this detailed map of Uruzgan (Open Adobe .pdf-file)