From Spiegel: US President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and NATO has pledged an additional 7,000. But in Germany, demands for more soldiers will put Chancellor Merkel in a political bind and could result in a new trans-Atlantic tiff…

Last Tuesday’s conversation between the US president and the German chancellor lasted about 20 minutes, but it didn’t make things any less complicated for Merkel. There are already 4,500 German troops stationed in Afghanistan, and on Thursday Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, extended the current mandate by an additional year, despite growing doubts concerning the purpose of the mission. And now, if Obama has his way, even more young Germans will be deployed to Afghanistan…

This leaves Merkel with the choice of either casting her lot with Obama and sending significantly more troops to Afghanistan, as the Poles and British have done, or stonewalling along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The chancellor does not want the issue to lead to a rupture with Washington and a new rift within NATO. But if she prevails with a new mandate for more German troops, Afghanistan will become her war once and for all.

Militarily speaking, whether Germany sends additional troops to Afghanistan is not crucial, nor does the success of the American strategy depend on it. But the issue is critical on the domestic front. In other words, the war will not be won because of additional Bundeswehr soldiers, but Merkel stands to lose a great deal by deploying more troops to Afghanistan. (photo: DPA)