Truer Words

Is it any surprise that a report written by a panel appointed by Harper wishes to continue sending our soldiers into battle? Soldiers who have been marred by poor equipment, isolation from NATO “allies”, and an increasing threat from a population that sees our efforts as an occupation? 

Is it any surprise that the individual directed to head the panel, John Manley, already had a predetermined pro-mission agenda which he outlined three months prior in an article he wrote for a publication called Policy Options and incorporated those same passages into the “independent” report.  Would it be naive to assume that his prior views had nothing to do with his selection? 

Is it any surprise that our Conservative government fails to see that combat will only serve to exacerbate the already volatile situation and further encourage the Afghani population to side with the insurgents, even if they were despised before the American invasion?  Is it any surprise that our soldiers are engendering more hatred by supplying prisoners to Afghan Communists (a.k.a Northern Alliance) who are then engaging in systematic torture of those prisoners? 

Considering the lack of direction and blatant disregard of the real issues that has characterized this mission, it’s not surprising at all.

Adopting the typical American “us versus them” attitude and hoping that the Taliban disappear into the ether is simply a delusional tactic that will never see the light of day; the insurgents have nothing to lose.  Instead of isolating, marginalizing and stigmatizing a significant portion of the Afghan population, it is time Canada reverted back to traditional peacekeeping methods by trying to build links with each ethnic group in order to build a foundation for a sustainable democracy.  The leadership must also keep in mind that engaging in a war with the Taliban in the south also means waging war on the large ethnic Pashtun population who are forced to side with the Taliban due to being left out of the political process. 
Instead, Canada continues to put weight behind a former UNOCAL employee and CIA installed “leader” in Hamid Karzai who cannot walk outside his residence without American marine body-guards , who is laughingly referred to as “the Mayor of Kabul” (although I think my ward councilor would probably rival him in terms of territorial jurisdiction), and who has become so desperate that he has even talked about awarding government positions to the Taliban (nice to see the Afghan leader totally contradict the unrealistic goals we’re trying to achieve). 

Unfortunately, the Canadian legacy of peacekeeping has been corrupted by those who are keen to impress their American masters by slaving to their ruthless, self-serving, and self-destructive foreign policy.  With an incompetent and clueless Official Opposition, a media that has mirrored the U.S. when it comes to cheerleader coverage, and a Canadian public that is refusing to ask tough questions, the hawks on Parliament Hill have all the ammunition they need to further tarnish Canada’s international reputation.