June 2008 - Esprit De Corps Magazine
By Colin Kenny
Canadians can be forgiven if they are confused about how well their Government’s mission to Afghanistan is going. One day our military commanders are suggesting that the Taliban threat is diminishing. The next day the Taliban blows a hole in Sarpoza Provincial Prison and free 400 of their captured fighters – right in the middle of Kandahar City where things were supposedly under control!
Canada is committed to keeping troops in Afghanistan until 2011, but any realist knows that our troops will be needed for longer than that if the all lives and dollars Canadians have invested there are going to have any chance of paying off.
The Senate Committee on National Security and Defence argues in a report released June 10 that the Canadian Government should be using a series of indicators to give Parliament and Canadians regular insights into whether Canada is really improving the lives of Afghans. The report’s titles states our thesis: How are We Doing in Afghanistan? Canadians Need to Know.
We know that the elected government headed by Hamid Karzai is weak in a number of ways. If it is going to win the loyalty of Afghans and become capable of ruling without the assistance of foreign troops, the government is going to have to get stronger and start responding to the myriad needs of its citizens.
That doesn’t just mean building a more muscular army – although that will be essential. It means significantly reducing corruption among police and other public officials. It means building a national justice system that is superior to patchwork local versions. It means building a civil service that is seen to be both competent and fair.
If progress is really underway in these and other areas, democracy has a chance of surviving. Progress should be measurable. The Canadian government already does polls in Kandahar. It should focus those polls on what Canadians need to know, and conduct them regularly so trends can be identified.
You don’t need polls for quantifiable information as to how many soldiers and civilians the Taliban has killed in a given period, or how much territory it controls. You do need polls to find out whether Kandaharis feel that the government is becoming more responsive, whether the justice system is becoming fairer, whether officials are becoming less corrupt, whether more aid is getting through to people desperately in need, and most basically, whether people would prefer to be ruled by Karzai or the Taliban.
This kind of information should be relayed to Parliament twice a year, and Parliament should share it with Canadians. Canadians can then decide whether the scores of lives and billions of dollars that are being sacrificed in Afghanistan represent useful investments – for both Afghans and Canadians.
We also argue that Prime Minister Stephen Harper should take over this file and start communicating with Canadians about Canada’s most important foreign mission since Korea. That’s also what the Manley Panel recommended, but the Prime Minister doesn’t seem too anxious to get his hands dirty.
The Committee further recommended that (a) the Canadian government abandon its hard line opposing any communications with the Taliban; and (b) that the normal military tour of duty in Afghanistan be increased from six months to 9-12 months.
On (a), the Committee isn’t saying that we should be in regular communication with cutthroats determined to eradicate our troops from the earth. But we are saying that we know that there are some Taliban who would rather be negotiating than fighting, and that these kinds of possibilities should at least be examined. Karzai himself has stated that he would be willing to negotiate with the Taliban. Other NATO countries have talked to the Taliban. Canadians in the field have talked to the Taliban. Why does Ottawa react with such outrage at the very suggestion.
On (b), we’re not talking about forcing combat troops to stay longer than six months. We’re saying that support personnel take time to adjust to what works in Afghanistan and what doesn’t, and longer tours are likely to mean better communications with Afghans. Lord knows we need better communications there, here, and everywhere.
There are 16 recommendations in the report, which is available at www.sen-sec.ca
Colin Kenny is Chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. He can be reached via email at kennyco@sen.parl.gc.ca