(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the Netherlands are split on their support for the country’s military mission in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond. 49 per cent of respondents endorse the Afghan commitment, whereas 45 per cent do not.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the Netherlands are split on their support for the country’s military mission in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond. 49 per cent of respondents endorse the Afghan commitment, whereas 45 per cent do not.
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden without evidence of his participation in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
At least 1,602 soldiers—including 21 Dutch—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Dutch voters renewed the Second Chamber in November 2006. The governing Christian-Democratic Appeal (CDA)—led by current minister president Jan Peter Balkenende—secured 41 out of 150 seats. In February 2007, a coalition encompassing the CDA, the Labour Party (PvdA) of Wouter Bos, and the Christian Union (CU) of Andre Rouvouet was assembled.
In November 2007, the Dutch cabinet agreed on the continuation of the military mission in Afghanistan until December 2010. Nearly 2,000 Dutch soldiers are currently deployed in Afghanistan, most of them in the southern Uruzgan province.
In October 2009, the Second Chamber voted, after an intense debate, against renewing the country’s troop commitment in Urguzan beyond December 2010.
On Jan. 27, Ivo Daalder, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO, asked Dutch lawmakers to extend the mission in Urguzan beyond 2010, saying, "We are at a critical juncture in this operation, and 2010 is clearly the year in which we’re either going to turn the corner and move in a fundamentally different direction and succeed, or not. This is therefore not the time to start decreasing effort. It is the time to maintain, if not expand, the effort."
Polling Data
Dutch soldiers have now been active in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan for several years. The Dutch troops are active at both rebuilding the area and suppressing the Taliban. Does the mission in Uruzgan have your support?
|
Yes |
49% |
|
No |
45% |
Source: Maurice de Hond
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Dutch adults, conducted on Jan. 30, 2010. No margin of error was provided.
