Hot Spots

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Hot Spots

07/23/2009

Canada and Afghanistan

About two weeks ago I was in Calgary, Canada, attending the Calgary Stampede, an awesome event everyone should go to once in their lifetime, and spent a morning at The Military Museums, a complex in town, as well as talking to some Canadian soldiers who had an exhibit at the Stampede. It was refreshing to see the admiration among the fairgoers for their kids who were going off to war in Afghanistan, as well as guarding the home front. It’s not just in America that the people are proud of those who serve. 

But Canadians, and Brits, are wrestling with the war owing to a substantial price they are paying; at least 185 British soldiers having been killed and 124 Canadians. And our own Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, conceded over the weekend that real progress must be made over the coming year or Americans themselves will turn against the war effort in Afghanistan. 

So I was perusing some of the material the Canadian military put together and thought I’d pass it along. It’s simplistic, but then it should be. If the cause isn’t easily understood, drop it. 

Canadian Forces in Afghanistan: Defending Canada Abroad 

Afghanistan is a proud country that was founded in 1747. Canada severed diplomatic relations with Afghanistan following the Soviet intervention in 1979. After a bitter fight, the people of Afghanistan forced the Soviet Union to withdraw in 1992 but endured further armed conflict as tribal warlords competed for power. 

A fundamentalist Taliban government eventually emerged as the only group powerful enough to seize control. The regime eventually forged a close alliance with Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, which set up terrorist training camps. Minority groups were brutally persecuted and oppressed and the justice system featured summary stonings, floggings and executions. 

Following the Al-Qaeda attacks on Washington and New York on September 11, 2001, directed from Afghanistan, the international community and anti-Taliban Afghans ousted this brutal regime. The new government of Afghanistan needed help and Canada acted in response. Remnants of the Taliban regime attack our soldiers and are attempting to re-take control of the country. 

But Afghanistan’s transition to a stable and strong democracy was marked with the inauguration of its first parliament in over three decades on December 19, 2005. Small businesses are now flourishing, girls are attending school and the country no longer has terrorist training camps. Canadian soldiers continue to implement stability and offer humanitarian assistance while ensuring that terrorists do not re-establish themselves in Afghanistan. 

The best way for Canada to make a difference in post-conflict situations is to pursue a whole-of-government approach that includes defense, diplomacy and development. 

Defense efforts strengthen security and stability. 

Diplomacy enhances prospects for nation building and reconstruction.  

It is also important to ensure that Development contributions are brought to bear in a coordinated and effective way. 

Canada is in Afghanistan to help the Afghans rebuild their communities and improve their quality of life. The Canadian Forces will help restore peace so that the people of Afghanistan can walk the streets without fear of being killed by an improvised explosive device or suicide bomber. Under the Taliban regime, 35 percent of Afghans did not live past the age of five. 

Today, the Canadian Forces are helping to create a healthy and stable society where children can flourish. Canadian soldiers are rebuilding schools so all children can receive and education. 

Canadian soldiers are risking their lives to offer stability and hope to the people of Afghanistan and to protect Canada and their fellow Canadians. The Canadian Forces are strategically placed at different locations across Kandahar Province. This allows them to patrol a large area providing support and reinforcement to the Afghan security forces and disrupting the activities of those opposed to Afghanistan’s democratic government. 

The people of Afghanistan asked Canada to help bring peace and stability to their country. 

Canada is assisting Afghans in rebuilding their war-ravaged nation and in creating a better future for themselves and their children. 

The Canadian Forces are fighting terrorism in order to protect Canadian values at home and abroad. 

But for how long will the Canadian and British people stand behind the war effort? As noted above, even Defense Secretary Gates, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, said that victory was a “long-term prospect” under any scenario and that the U.S. would not win the war in a year’s time. As reported by Julian E. Barnes, “However, U.S. forces must begin to turn the situation around in a year, he said, or face the likely loss of public support.” 

“ ‘After the Iraq experience, nobody is prepared to have a long slog where it is not apparent we are making headway,’ Gates said… ‘The troops are tired; the American people are pretty tired.’ 

“ ‘If we can show progress, and we are headed in the right direction, and we are not in a stalemate where we are taking significant casualties, then you can put more time on the Washington clock,’ he said.” 

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