Anonymous said:
We are in Afghnistan as part of a UN Mission in Kaboul. Our forces serve as security forces for the patical and the area around it. It is our only role. And if im not mistaken it is over, or soon will be over.
Answer - Please excuse this extended diatribe but we are, as a Nation, about to enter into a dangerous enterprise.
Canada was part of an international force that invaded Afghanistan in light that the Nation was providing safe harbour for those groups associated with 9/11. We did so as part of a NATO initiative. We have an obligation under NATO to act in defence of a member state under attack, and to pursue the perpitrators. We also have greater responsibilities under the U.N. Charter to ensure that Afghanistan returns to the world Community sovereign and stable and without protracted occupation. Afghanistan is not and has never been democratic. They have often been occupied but never controlled. Their historic pattern of rule has been city state with warlords controlling the hinterland and transportation. There are layers of clan control, ethnic grouping and religious affiliations defining a number of semi-autonomous political entities. Neither our NATO or UN obligations require us to democratize the Afghans, just to bring about functional government. Despite the fact that many of the warlords control and profit by the opium trade (which the Tailaban had effectively snuffed), they are still the mainspring of the real 'government' , not the central government under Karzai.
As part of the 'cold war' the U.S. poured millions of weapons into Afghanistan to resist the occupation by the USSR. It was a war of attrition in which every dollar spend by the U.S. was causing $10 in damage to the Russians. It was a war that crippled the USSR economy and contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union. Mostly old and much used weapons were brought in by the Pakistanis from China, Iran, Britain, but eventually the U.S. brought in the Stinger to bring down the russian helecopters. As the war ended the U.S. tryed hard to buy back the unused Stingers but mostly failed. Much of the Saudi money was used to set up Islamist schools all through Pakinstan, but concentrated on the Afghani border. Americans trained teachers went into this border area to help prepare the (mujhahidine??) to irratate the Russians. The American's made grandiose promises of forging a new Afghani nation with the many brave fighters at hand, but there was no thought of building a pipeline through Afghanistan at the time so the Americans saw no benifit to helping Afghanistan. So the Afghanis were left to the hands of the old warlords and new, very intent and well schooled (Mujhahidine). The Tailiban found themselves to be the most co-ordinated and so grew in power. Among these fighters was OBL. He could see that the US had air bases in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. had military bases in Kuwait, a navel base in Aden. The U.S. was seen as an occupying force in several Moslem nations that had repressive regimes that denied the flourishing of Islam. There was no political voice for opposition in these Nations but a growing resentment of the U.S. presence and influence on public culture. Further, the U.S. was seen as providing Israel with Billions of dollars to establish Israeli settlement in the West Bank and Gaza. Land occupied by Isreael from a landgrab in the 1967 war. This is a clear violation of International Treaty and the U.N. Charter. Many of the settlers are ex-pat Americans. Meanwhile millions of Palistinians live in the squallor of refugee camps. Anyone with no idea how terrorists are spawned just doesn't want to know.
We are going to have problems in Afghanistan. The Americans bombed over 5000 civilians in the first days of the campaign. We have to have very clear and limited expectations of what we must achieve there. And we must measure progress by the areas returning to control of their historic leaders. We can form a resistance against the Tailaban but it is up to the Pakistanis to drive them into our grasp. If the Pakistanis do not do their part, we should leave.
Under no circumstances should Canada EVER hand over to the Americans ANY prisoners of war. America is in violation of the Geneva Convention on Torture and to do so would put Canada in violation. We do not to be War Criminals do we. What goes on over there is done in the name of all Canadians. Speak out if you oppose torture or you will be condoning it.
After almost 4 years Afghanistan should be a settled issue. It is not and our government (and news media) has been less than frank on what is happening there. We need the truth and we need it now. I will certainly oppose this war with my whole being if it is not according to the standards set by the conventions of war.
