Dear Colleagues,
The Conference of Defence Associations would like to draw your attention to a number of articles addressing recent developments in Afghanistan.
Firstly, for your information on the current state of the NATO mission, the CDA draws your attention to the NATO in Afghanistan website, which contains a number of key facts and figures:
http://www.nato.int/issues/afghanistan/index.html
In an article for the Asia Times (see link below), Haroun Mir suggests that the true obstacles to success in Afghanistan are the high levels of inefficiency and of corruption found within the Afghan government itself. Mir argues that with the assistance of the NATO countries, the criteria of responsiveness and accountability need to become the norm in Afghanistan, so that ordinary Afghans will be able to lay their trust with the government rather than the Taliban.
In another article published in the same issue of the Asia Times, Syed Saleem Shahzed reports that coalition forces may begin to hit Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, even within Pakistan’s borders. While senior Pakistan officials have stated that they do not believe the Taliban poses a threat to Pakistan, recent events such as the siege at the Red Mosque in Islamabad and the occupation of several towns by the Taliban along the Afghan/Pakistani border suggest that Pakistani authorities are having increasing trouble dealing with extremists.
Domestically, Canada’s participation in the NATO mission to Afghanistan continues to be debated, particularly in the wake of our recent losses.
In a piece published in today’s Winnipeg Free Press, Lieutenant-General (ret’d) Ray Crabbe writes about the recent comments made by the Prime Minister regarding his intention to seek consensus with the other political parties about the fate of Canada’s mission to Afghanistan post-February 2009. Lieutenant-General (ret’d) Crabbe urges the Prime Minister and the other federal leaders to rise above partisan politics and compromise, and act in a manner that is in the best interest of the country.
This sentiment was expressed across the country in a number of newspapers despite their traditional ideological leanings. Today, the National Post (see link below) commented on the irony of calling for an immediate withdrawal of the troops while supporting the very rights which NATO troops are in Afghanistan to protect. The Post further commented that Canada needs to switch over to air re-supply to decrease the number of IED-related deaths.
The Toronto Star (see link below) also disagreed with the statement that Canada is on “the wrong mission”, arguing that the point of the mission is to allow time for the Afghan government to gather its strength. The Star recommended that the Canadian government ensure that the focus of the military presence be placed on policing, on training and on providing security for aid.
Indeed, training the Afghan army on a wide scale, which is an essential component for the end-state of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and helping them establish credibility as the security force of Afghanistan is becoming the primary goal of the Canadian Forces, and should be recognized as the top priority by the Government if Canada wishes to extend the military mission beyond February 2009.
A poll conducted by the radio station 580 CFRA in Ottawa on 4 and 5 July (see link below) asked whether “the deaths of the soldiers influence Canada's decision about whether to extend the mission”. The vast majority of respondents (81.7%) replied that “No, the deaths are tragic but they shouldn't be used as an argument to end the mission”, with 17.7% saying “Yes, the casualties show the mission is very dangerous and we should bring our soldiers home as soon as possible”.
CDA is of the view that that it would be naïve to suggest that we should pull out of Kandahar in 2009 or sooner, particularly if the goal is to move Canada’s contribution elsewhere to a more stable region in Afghanistan. The current mission is evolving as security is being established in Kandahar, and it would be a waste to withdraw prematurely, as expressed in “An Afghanistan Balance Sheet” by General (ret’d) Paul Manson, President of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (see link below). Although we see a need for a “debate” in order to reach some form of consensus in Parliament regarding the mission post-2009, the CDA recognizes that ultimately the fate of the mission must rest with the Prime Minister and his Government.
CDA wishes to express its condolences to the families of all those killed in yesterday’s incident. In particular, however, we wish to extend our condolences to Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Peter Dawe, the Executive Director of the Royal Military Colleges Club, which is an Associate Member Association of the CDA. Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Dawe’s son, Capt Mathew Dawe, was one of those killed yesterday, and it is CDA’s honour to reproduce below a brief statement of tribute by General (ret’d) Ramsey Withers.
Alain Pellerin
Colonel (ret’d)
Executive Director
(613) 236-1252
Links
Haroun Mir. “Afghanistan is moving backward”. The Asia Times. July 3, 2007. Available online at: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/printN.html
Syed Saleem Shahzad. “US to hunt the Taliban inside Pakistan”. The Asia Times. July 3, 2007. Available online at: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/printN.html
Ray Crabbe. “Restoring failed state will take patience”. The Winnipeg Free Press. July 5, 2007. Available online at:
http://server09.densan.ca/fa/clips_e/070705/f00022AA.htm
“They died for a good cause”. The National Post. July 5, 2007. Available online at:
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=71962b42-9dd7-4915-b866-03d149cd6b42
“Canada’s mission costly but worthy”. The Toronto Star. July 5, 2007. Available online at:
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/232528
http://www.cfra.com/polls/index.asp
General (ret’d) Paul D. Manson. “An Afghanistan Balance Sheet”. CDA Commentary 6-2007. The Conference of Defence Associations. Available online at:
http://www.cda-cdai.ca/CDA_Commentary/6-07%20An%20Afghanistan%20Balance%20Sheet.pdf
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