Charlatan

I have been following this as much as I can from abroad and I am not clear on the positions of those who would see us out of Afghanistan.

I have read a little bit of Jack Layton's desire to have us withdraw immediately and I have to say I am greatly disappointed. Yes, our troops are getting killed there. That's what happens in situations like this. But it is what they've trained to do.

As I understand it we are in Afghanistan for two reasons:

1) assist with the rebuilding of a nation from years of abuse (we can go back at least as far as the Soviet invasion, and probably further, to see this).
2) to assist in the control (destruction) of the Taliban.

I don't see any resistance to point number one on any side of the discussion. Who can argue with humanitarian relief? It's one of the things we, as Canadians, pride ourselves on.

The issue then is point number two. In my mind you cannot acheive number one without achieving point two. The Taliban is an odious boil that needs to be lanced. Anyone who knows the history of the Taliban's time in power will know this to be true. Not only were they harmful to their people but they were an incubation centre for the export of "terrorism" abroad.

What I will say is that, we should be constantly reassesing our methods of acheiving the elimination/control of the Taliban. I do not think it will be solved by force alone (i.e. there are other factors at work here in creating the conditions for the Taliban to rise to power). I do not think it can be achieved without the full support of Pakistan. By this I mean that Pakistan needs to get serious about squashing the Taliban and its support within its own borders. Again, this requires both a military and a social/political solution.

I personally know a few Afghanis, a few of which live in Kabul now. They have seen the changes that the defeat of the Taliban has brought about first hand. They appreciate what is being done.



I would like to hear from the rest of you about what you think Canada's continued roll in Afghanistan should be, why you think we are there in the first place and what you would suggest is the solution?

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke