Gordon Brown has made a statement on the war in Afghanistan. With some emphasis upon reconstruction to fit in with his overall policy themes of aid and international development, there is continuity, as expected, between his perception of the conflict and Blair's. This cannot be a surprise, when there is not much room for reform within a coalition. Brown's potential and solo action is reduction of troop numbers or withdrawal.
''We've got to make sure the drug trade is not the only economic activity in Afghanistan,'' he said, pointing to the need for the West to support more economic development. His comments suggest he is unlikely to approve any further large increase in British troop numbers in Afghanistan in the near future, but will tilt policy more to the need to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. He is likely to continue Tony Blair's push to get other Nato countries to shoulder more of the military burden in the most dangerous regions. The future Prime Minister views Afghanistan as a key commitment in the upkeep of both NATO and the alliance with the United States. His emphasis upon self-sustaining economic growth beyond the drug trade is a view shared by other members of the coalition, yet an unwieldy governance structure has provided space for corruption and inertia. The omission of this key problem leads one to doubt whether Brown will engage or change the underlying issues of the Afghanistan campaign.