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Ace_O_Spades · 09-30-2006, 01:53 AM

I don’t agree with a full pull out for several reasons. First, there are still insurgents attacking Canadian aid workers and Afghani civilians alike. The borders of the cities need defending as well as some measure of suppression of Taliban fighters entering the country from North Western Pakistan. However, this cannot be the central focus.

The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf stated on Tuesday, September 26,

“Today, the focus has shifted from al Qaeda to Taliban in that area. Now, what is the greatest danger? Taliban are the people, they are the locals, they are the Pakhtun ethnic group, whereas al Qaeda were not the locals, they were outsiders, and they easily recognizable. These people are from the people, and now the greatest danger is that this Taliban movement gets converted into a Pakhtun people's movement. So therefore the important thing at this moment, as I see it, the strategy is, wean the people away from the Taliban. Wean the non-Taliban Pakhtun away from the Taliban Pakhtun. Now that is the basis of whatever we are doing.”

I am in complete agreement with this. The American National Intelligence Estimate reports that the style of war they are employing in Iraq, which closely mirrors our current strategy in Afghanistan, shows that it has increased American resentment in the area, increased the global terror threat, and further destabilized the region in the process. Do we, as Canadians want our legacy in Afghanistan to be that of the Soviet Union?

Victory in Afghanistan is not about crushing the Taliban. They will never stop fighting. President Musharraf was absolutely correct, the Taliban are the people. And any attempt to eradicate the Taliban will need to start with the people. Not by putting bullets in them or throwing them in prison (except in circumstances which warrant), but by furthering the development of key social institutions.

The training of local police who are trained in civil management, not militaristic policing is absolutely essential. It has long been recognized in the developed world that the military are neither efficient nor effective in dealing with civil matters.

The de-emphasis of the military’s role and the increase in education funding will be the next piece in a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan. With the police trained in safely and humanely enforcing rights under the Afghan constitution and the laws of the land the atmosphere for education and cultural renewal become available. Civil rights violations must be handled with the utmost swiftness. The people need to feel safe and secure that the government is capable of defending their civil liberties they have so recently obtained, lest we fail them and they fall back into the hands of the Taliban, or the Warlords who ruled the country before them.

The construction of schools that promote equal education of boys and girls will need to operate under the protection of the government. No teacher in Afghanistan should fear suffering the fate of Mike Frastacky, who was shot and killed in his sleep by Taliban on July 26th. He died doing what we need to be doing more of: building schools and furthering education; education for the next generation of Afghanis that equal access to school is something guaranteed to all citizens of their proud nation, and they will be strengthened by it. Education of children not only of the concepts of democracy and civil liberties, but also of the incredibly rich heritage of the region which houses many of the most ancient artifacts on earth. With the Conservative policy as it is now, Mike Frastacky’s death will be in vain.

With no clear exit strategy in place, with no clear focus in our military effort, we are squandering taxpayer money on a war that will have no end. The Conservatives have opened the door for Canadian involvement into the next decade of this century. We are not the only country in Afghanistan, we have many allies, and let us all work together. In rebuilding this country, our exit strategy should be gradual as Afghanistan becomes self-sufficient. This cannot be accomplished by cutting and running before the job is complete. Nor can it be accomplished by having no exit strategy at all, as is the case currently.

09-30-2006, 01:53 AM	#14 (permalink)
Ace_O_Spades The Death Card Location: EH!?!?	I don’t agree with a full pull out for several reasons. First, there are still insurgents attacking Canadian aid workers and Afghani civilians alike. The borders of the cities need defending as well as some measure of suppression of Taliban fighters entering the country from North Western Pakistan. However, this cannot be the central focus. The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf stated on Tuesday, September 26, “Today, the focus has shifted from al Qaeda to Taliban in that area. Now, what is the greatest danger? Taliban are the people, they are the locals, they are the Pakhtun ethnic group, whereas al Qaeda were not the locals, they were outsiders, and they easily recognizable. These people are from the people, and now the greatest danger is that this Taliban movement gets converted into a Pakhtun people's movement. So therefore the important thing at this moment, as I see it, the strategy is, wean the people away from the Taliban. Wean the non-Taliban Pakhtun away from the Taliban Pakhtun. Now that is the basis of whatever we are doing.” I am in complete agreement with this. The American National Intelligence Estimate reports that the style of war they are employing in Iraq, which closely mirrors our current strategy in Afghanistan, shows that it has increased American resentment in the area, increased the global terror threat, and further destabilized the region in the process. Do we, as Canadians want our legacy in Afghanistan to be that of the Soviet Union? Victory in Afghanistan is not about crushing the Taliban. They will never stop fighting. President Musharraf was absolutely correct, the Taliban are the people. And any attempt to eradicate the Taliban will need to start with the people. Not by putting bullets in them or throwing them in prison (except in circumstances which warrant), but by furthering the development of key social institutions. The training of local police who are trained in civil management, not militaristic policing is absolutely essential. It has long been recognized in the developed world that the military are neither efficient nor effective in dealing with civil matters. The de-emphasis of the military’s role and the increase in education funding will be the next piece in a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan. With the police trained in safely and humanely enforcing rights under the Afghan constitution and the laws of the land the atmosphere for education and cultural renewal become available. Civil rights violations must be handled with the utmost swiftness. The people need to feel safe and secure that the government is capable of defending their civil liberties they have so recently obtained, lest we fail them and they fall back into the hands of the Taliban, or the Warlords who ruled the country before them. The construction of schools that promote equal education of boys and girls will need to operate under the protection of the government. No teacher in Afghanistan should fear suffering the fate of Mike Frastacky, who was shot and killed in his sleep by Taliban on July 26th. He died doing what we need to be doing more of: building schools and furthering education; education for the next generation of Afghanis that equal access to school is something guaranteed to all citizens of their proud nation, and they will be strengthened by it. Education of children not only of the concepts of democracy and civil liberties, but also of the incredibly rich heritage of the region which houses many of the most ancient artifacts on earth. With the Conservative policy as it is now, Mike Frastacky’s death will be in vain. With no clear exit strategy in place, with no clear focus in our military effort, we are squandering taxpayer money on a war that will have no end. The Conservatives have opened the door for Canadian involvement into the next decade of this century. We are not the only country in Afghanistan, we have many allies, and let us all work together. In rebuilding this country, our exit strategy should be gradual as Afghanistan becomes self-sufficient. This cannot be accomplished by cutting and running before the job is complete. Nor can it be accomplished by having no exit strategy at all, as is the case currently. __________________ Feh. Last edited by Ace_O_Spades; 09-30-2006 at 01:59 AM..