Dutch politics are not usually considered important in the US capital, and very little heed was given to the collapse of the fourth Balkenende cabinet over the weekend. Dutch speed skater Mark Tuitert’s Olympic gold made it to prime time on Saturday, but three paragraphs on page 16 of The Washington Post on Sunday were all the attention the Dutch political drama received.

But those who closely follow Obama’s policies on Afghanistan were eager to learn more about the split in the coalition. Bruce Riedel, Larry Korb and J. Alexander Thier fear the withdrawal of all Dutch troops will encourage other allies to also abandon Nato’s Afghanistan mission. They predict conservative criticism of Obama will grow. And they feel the little political influence the Netherlands had in Washington will diminish further.

“The irony is that this comes to the time when the battle finally is turning in favour of Nato,’’ Riedel said. He understands the Netherlands has “stretched their military to the absolute limit”. But finds it “frustrating” that Canada could follow suit and withdraw its troops as well – posing serious problems for Obama. “The big worry for the Obama administration is that is this could cause a domino effect. I know that’s in their mind,” he said.

Moreover, the Afghan war has become very unpopular in the US itself – although approval ratings have risen in recent months. “The weariness is growing here at home, especially among the president’s own party. And the symbolism of a major ally leaving now will be particularly difficult for the president,” Riedel said.

Larry Korb (Centre for American Progress) added the decision fans the flames of conservative critics of the president. In his election campaign, Obama argued his popularity abroad would mean he could get more international support for US policies than his predecessor George W. Bush. But the results so far have been disappointing.

Read more here.

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