From the Wall Street Journal: Following President Obama’s speech on our common mission in Afghanistan, NATO members and other countries pledged about 7,000 additional troops. My country committed just under 1,000, which makes Georgia the highest per-capita troop contributor to the war effort…

As President Obama pointed out, the threat of violent extremism endangers all nations that subscribe to the principles of liberal democracy. Those principles made America the target on 9/11. Spain was hit on March 11, 2004, and Britain on July 7, 2005. Any of our countries could be next.

We see ourselves as firmly allied with the values of the U.S. and the trans-Atlantic community. That is why we are sending serious forces—a heavy battalion and two light companies—with no restrictions on the kinds of missions and combat in which they can participate. Almost 800 will be deploying with the U.S. Marines into Helmand Province, where some of the most intense fighting has occurred…

The test of the bonds among nations is not what we do when it is easy, but rather what we do when it is hard. Georgia has been grateful for the extent to which the U.S. and Europe have stood alongside us over recent years. Now we are proud to stand—and fight—alongside you.

By Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia. (photo: Gamma)