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

The Star Tribune, Minneapolis, on war deadline flap obscuring real goal

Regardless of which strategic option President Obama chose to win the war in Afghanistan, it was bound to be controversial. But even among some who agreed with the president's decision to deploy 30,000 additional troops, his plan for a drawdown beginning in July 2011 has sparked more debate.

Although we disagree with Obama's decision to launch the surge, critics of the timeline are wrong. Obama is stating the obvious: America will not be in Afghanistan forever, which both our allies and adversaries already know. A timeline not only diffuses the notion that the United States will be a permanent occupying force, but it also gives the clearest indication yet to Afghans — from President Hamid Karzai to remote villagers — that they have to fight for their own country.

Obama's critics, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., believe that having a timetable sends the wrong signal to our Nato, Afghan and Pakistani allies and may embolden our adversaries — al Qaeda, the Taliban and the other insurgent groups that have seized the offensive in the region. Providing deadlines simply lets insurgents know how long they'll need to wait out Nato forces, say the critics.

"Dates for withdrawal are dictated by conditions," McCain argues. "The way you win wars is to break the enemy's will, not to announce dates that you are leaving."

But in Afghanistan, ultimately Afghan forces will need to break the will of the enemy in what still is essentially a civil war with the Afghan government getting protection and support from Nato troops. Indeed, it will take a surge by the Afghans — through the national army or local militias — to defeat the Taliban.

The timeline should focus and accelerate the efforts of both the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments to take charge of their own futures. In Senate testimony this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said deadlines can help "build a fire" to force the Afghans to make the war their own.