The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

The Toronto Star –on NATO and Afghanistan

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the allies in Afghanistan claimed to be united in Lisbon on the weekend, but their end game still isn’t entirely clear. They pledged a “long term partnership” and “enduring commitment” to Afghanistan’s elected government. But they also set 2014 as a firm end date for major combat operations. In Ottawa’s view, “there’s no flexibility” on the exit. Our troops are out, even as trainers, in 2014.

But Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary-general, insisted that allied forces will stay “as long as it takes”. American officials, too, cautioned that 2014 was “an aspirational timeline,” not a fixed date. Yet the British, key players, foresee “no combat role” beyond that point. And Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants the allies out by 2014.

This fanning of the fog of war is deliberate. ... While NATO badly misjudged this messy war, and is keeping its exit options open, the Americans and their close allies have agreed to fight hard, for three more years. They will train Afghan soldiers and begin handing over local turf early next year. And the Americans, if no one else, are prepared to backstop the Karzai regime indefinitely.

Longer term, in the decade after 2014, the allies will pour billions into the Afghan treasury (absent corruption) to bankroll the army. That was the message from Lisbon. For all its improvisation, it wasn’t one the Taliban wanted to hear. They will be hard-pressed to wait NATO out and prevail any time soon.