Afghanistan - I Finally Figured it Out

I have written about Afghanistan a few times since I began blogging and I always think "Ok, this is the last one." Then I see something on TV or hear something on the radio or listen to someone yammering about it and I get pissed off. So here I am again writing about Afghanistan, but this time I think I've figured out why people are so unsupportive.

For much of the 20th century Canada has been well respected around the world for being firm and fair and working hard. Pretty good for such a young country. I think I could make a case that we are much less respected now.

When World War I broke out in Europe we quickly jumped in with both feet to support our allies in the battle against tyranny. Yes there was dissent, especially about conscription but for the most part the public supported the efforts of the military.

World War II spanned the globe and involved a lot more countries and support was huge. Rationing, food stamps, restrictions all made life difficult, not to mention the casualties yet support was steadfast because society realized that we had a responsibility to defend the freedom of our allies and ourselves.

It is interesting to note that many of the people that lived through these events placed high value on concepts such as respect, loyalty and responsibility. I am sure you have heard parents or grandparents complain about how rude people are these days and everyone generally agrees that the moral fibre of our society is much thinner now than it used to be. What about the importance of finishing what you start?

More and more people think only of themseleves instead of others and I believe this is partially reponsible for our current attitude towards the Afghanistan deployment. Am I reaching? Think about it. When is the last time you helped someone in need? If you saw someone being mugged or assaulted would you intervene? Have you ever been in a tight spot and wondered afterwards why no one helped you? Canadians knew that fighting World War II would be difficult after the high casualty rate of WWI but understood that we had a responsibility to help our allies and so we got involved.

I believe that just as Canadians have become less and less interestec in helping their fellow man, so to has the public grown less supportive of anything dangerous regardless of the importance of the task.

Many people point to Darfur as a place we should send our troops, saying that this is 'peacekeeping' and that is what we should really be doing. Why stay in Afghanistan when it is so dangerous? Well I think I have an answer. Afghanistan's government asked us to help them rout the Taliban and help rebuild their shattered country. The Afghan people want us there. The citizens we've given medical aid too want us there, the educators want us there, the citizens trying to rebuild their lives and develop their economy want us there. In fact the only people that don't want us there are the toppled Taliban regime that wants to regain power and resume their terrorist culture.

What about Darfur? Well first off to paraphrase Sun Columnist Peter Worthington it is a quagmire that should be settled by African interlopers. Neither side really wants to stop fighting and it is doubtful that the presence of Canadian troops (who would be vastly outnumbered) would necessarily change anything. Romeo Dallaire, the retired Canadian General that witnessed the Rwandan genocide has changed his tune and admits that "Colonial intervention should be avoided."

Canadians want our troops 'safe and sound' babysitting UN food convoys and staying away from flying bullets. Well the way I look at it their isn't a lot that our military can do in Darfur. Our government can offer economic aid and work on the diplomatic front but until both sides truly agree to stop the fighting our efforts would be fruitless.

Afghanistan on the other hand, for those that have been there, is seeing real change, and our military is doing excellent work there. In fact just yesterday Candian Forces captured 10 members of the Taliban and confiscated plans, and military equipment used to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) similar to what was used on our fallen soldiers.

The Canadian public needs to wake up and realize that Afghanistan is not Iraq, and that 'peacekeeping' no longer exists. We need to earn back our respect on the world stage by maintaining our loyalty to our troops and take care of our responsibility by finishing the task we started in Afghanistan. It is those principles that made us great and it's time we remembered that.