RASC News Agency: According to reports from French media, Jens Stoltenberg, whose decade-long tenure as NATO Secretary General has concluded, stated during a ceremony in Brussels that NATO’s “nation-building” effort in Afghanistan was “overly ambitious.” Citing the lack of unity among Afghanistani officials during the previous government, Stoltenberg emphasized that the Afghanistan which was expected to become a stable state was, in reality, a “house of cards.” He added that NATO had reached a juncture where continued presence in Afghanistan was no longer justifiable, nor could it have produced a different outcome.
Reflecting on NATO’s extended mission in Afghanistan, Stoltenberg noted that when he assumed his role in 2014, the plan had been to end NATO’s military presence within a few years. However, seven years into his tenure, thousands of NATO troops remained in Afghanistan. Speaking on the shift in objectives, Stoltenberg explained that what had begun as a focused counterterrorism mission gradually evolved into “nation-building” a goal he now acknowledges as “overly ambitious” and one that placed significant strain on the alliance.
Stoltenberg pointed to the lack of cohesion among Afghanistani leaders as a critical issue, explaining that after NATO’s departure, there was no unified leadership to assume responsibility. The rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s government and security forces, he argued, affirmed that NATO’s decision to withdraw was the correct one. “The nation that was meant to have a stable government,” Stoltenberg noted, “was, in fact, a house of cards.”
He advised that any future military missions beyond NATO’s core region must be clearly defined, with realistic expectations regarding what can and cannot be achieved.
