How Effective is NATO in Afghanistan?

from The Captain's Journal

"There is no reason that the troops who wish to focus more on civic involvement (e.g., the European and British troops) cannot do so while the Marines hunt the Taliban. We have already noted that along much of the terrain outside of the cities, the Taliban control the high ground and it has been recommended by knowledgeable locals that if we wish to counter the efforts of the enemy, we will focus efforts on chasing them and gaining control of the more mountainous areas."
--The Captain's Journal

Ongoing lethargy of the campaign due to NATO incompetence and inability to formulate a coherent and sensible strategy

[the Captain's Journal] published NATO Intransigence in Afghanistan and The Marines, Afghanistan and Strategic Malaise. We[The Captain's Journal] have also pointed out that however bad a shadow NATO casts over the campaign in Afghanistan, the Taliban and al Qaeda have no such incoherence, and have settled on a comprehensive approach to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Now from the Baltimore Sun, we [The Captain's Journal] learn just how bad the strategic malaise is and how prescient were our warnings.

From the Baltimore Sun as reproduced in The Captain's Journal:

Disagreements and coordination problems high within the international military command are delaying combat operations for 2,500 Marines who arrived here last month to help root out Taliban forces, according to military officers here.

For weeks the Marines — with their light armor, infantry, artillery and a squadron of transport and attack helicopters and Harrier strike fighters — have been virtually quarantined at the international air base here, unable to operate beyond the base perimeter. . . .

Read on at http://www.captainsjournal.com/2008/04/13/marines-mired-in-nato-red-tape-in-afghanistan/