Why Norway is participating

Translated from the Norgwegian

Afghanistan. Kristian Berg Harpviken presents some insightful reflections about the challenges we face in Afghanistan and our society’s defences against terrorism in Aftenposten on 13 July. I agree that by declaring war on terror, the Bush Administration helped to give an invisible enemy legitimacy and attention, and that this reduced our chances of succeeding in Afghanistan.

By definition, a war on terror can never be won, because any act of terrorism keeps the “war” going. This view affected the strategy employed in Afghanistan for several years. Unfortunately it hampered the international effort because it got in the way of a targeted, systematic and comprehensive engagement aimed at enabling the Afghans to govern their own country. The Obama Administration has abandoned the strategy of his predecessor.

Preventing chaos. There are links between the operation in Afghanistan and efforts to combat terrorism. But obviously, not all terrorism originates in that country, and fighting terrorism cannot in itself provide a solution to Afghanistan’s problems. The UN Security Council has repeatedly established that the situation in Afghanistan is a threat to regional and international peace and security. Norway’s and other countries’ efforts are aimed at preventing Afghanistan from once again descending into chaos and becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups.

I agree with Mr Harpviken that Afghanistan’s internal conflicts cannot be resolved by military means alone, but must be dealt with politically. A continued military presence is, however, necessary to enable the Afghan authorities to gain control, to allow the Afghan police and army to guarantee the country’s security, and to ensure that the situation becomes sufficiently stable for a reconciliation process on the Afghans’ own terms to take place.

Learning to live with terrorism. If the Afghan and international efforts are successful, this will make both this region and the rest of the world safer. The threat posed by international terrorism will be reduced. But it will not be eliminated. In our globalised world, with its complex cross-border networks, we must learn to live with extremism and international terrorism.

The case that is currently being investigated by the Norwegian Police Security Service illustrates this. We saw another dramatic illustration of this last Sunday, when dozens of football fans following the World Cup on television were killed in the Ugandan capital Kampala by Islamist fundamentalists from Somalia. 

Mr Harpviken is right about the need to further develop advanced cooperation between the police and intelligence services in order to combat this horrendous form of crime, which so often affects civilians. There will be a need for such international efforts regardless of how the situation in Afghanistan develops. But a safer Afghanistan will make the world a safer place for us all. This is why Norway is participating in a political and military operation in Afghanistan.