The cost of Afghanistan in monatary means is of no immediate distress; if it was just money the scrutiny on the Afghan mission would and should be less then it is now. The cost of the mission however is more then wads of paper, it is taking the lives of Canadian soldiers; that price is a cost that must be constantly reviewed and accounted for.
The mounting death toll in Afghanistan, the increase in violence has only one conclusion; the way we are engaged in Afghanistan is wrong, it must be changed. If NATO forces were becoming successful then Canadians and all Coalition forces would by dying less and institutional progress would be made. However a report came out today sadly informing us and the world that NATO is engaged in a failing mission.
Two stories featuring and outlining the report can be found here and with a British emphasis here.
The report likens quite realistically the current NATO situation in Afghanistan with the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1980; which was inevitably a failure.
The report and the growing death toll demand the mission must be re-evaluated and the NATO mandate must corrected.
Gerard Kennedy has announced his stance on Afghanistan and is emboldened by the current situation to emphasize the need for a change in the way we are conducting our role in Afghanistan. He has put fourth his position that would have Canada pressure NATO into being more effective and result-based. Instead of a strict military mandate, Canada would help NATO re-focus on social and institutional changes while providing the necessary military secuirity.
The Leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy has stated that:
"There are currently three crises in Afghanistan: An opium crisis, a development crisis and a security crisis. Unless we deal with the first two in a rational, thoughtful manner, the last crisis - creating lasting security in Afghanistan - will be impossible to meet, violence will escalate and the mission will fail."
These three crisis need to be addressed. Military force can only stop the enemy that is easily seen; in Afghanistan the enemy that does the most damage and generates the hostilities can only be seen by the wider perspective. Looking at the run-down and destroyed schools, the triage hospitals, the opium trafficking, the black markets; all of these social problems give the enemy motivation. All of those social problems make the enemy pick up a gun. All of those social problems make the enemy into an enemy.
The current NATO mission has created more enemies resulting in more Canadian and NATO deaths. It is time to prevent the potential enemy, and to help create a potential ally and contributer to Afghanistan's future. It is time the NATO mission ne re-evaluated.
For more of Gerard Kennedy's innovative stance please click here.
Monday, September 18, 2006
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