From Time: It was always going to be a tough sell for Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. His government had pledged to withdraw 1,950 troops from Afghanistan by September — but he was going to renege on that promise and try to keep the Dutch contingent in the war zone through this year, flying in the face of Dutch political and public outrage. The result: on Feb. 20, after 16 hours of negotiations with his coalition partners in the Hague, Balkenende’s efforts failed and with that came the collapse of his coalition government. New elections are expected within three months, and the Netherlands will now pull its contingent out of Afghanistan by December, leaving a vacuum in the southern Uruzgan province…

Despite Balkenende’s pleas, the Labor Party refused to reconsider. "A plan was agreed when our soldiers went to Afghanistan," said Labor leader and outgoing Finance Minister Wouter Bos. "Our partners in the government didn’t want to stick to that plan and, on the basis of their refusal, we decided to resign." 

Balkenende was scathing in his condemnation of Labor, saying it failed to understand the wider implications of an Afghanistan pullout. "When the Netherlands becomes the first and only country to say no to any activities, that will lead to question marks abroad," he said. (photo: AFP)