Cybersecurity
Afghanistan Commitment Tests Obama’s Influence in NATO
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President Barack Obama faces the task of persuading financially pressed European governments and their war-weary citizens to back Afghanistan’s security over the next decade.
Obama met this morning in Chicago with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is sometimes harshly critical of his NATO allies. Obama is seeking to prevent a rush to withdraw from Afghanistan by U.S. allies ahead of 2014, when Afghan forces are to take over full security. The U.S. also wants allies, many enduring budget cuts, to help cover the $4.1 billion a year needed to finance Afghan security forces after 2014.