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For their empty response to Washington’s call for more troops in Afghanistan. An urgent meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels attempted to drum up 2,500 extra troops in southern Afghanistan. The response was deafeningly quiet, and NATO officials said a decision was unlikely before the end of September. That may be too late, as the Taliban uses the pre-winter period to reinforce the insurgent activity that has spread through the country this summer. Some NATO countries have deployed troops to Afghanistan, but this is not a case where a few should bear the majority of the burden.

As British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, “It is important that the whole of NATO regards this as their responsibility.”