Testifying before Canada’s national defence committee on the Hill two days ago (Monday, 9 February), Defence Minister Peter Mackay claimed that progress was being made in Afghanistan, albeit at a slower pace than would be ideal. Coupled with this unfounded rosy assessment of slow Afghan progress, Mackay also acknowledged a $331 million increase in Afghan war costs for this year.

Mackay’s insistence that progress is being made in Afghanistan goes against substantiated reports made by the British foreign ministry and President Obama’s new civilian proconsul for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The British now acknowledge that NATO forces are in a stalemate with Afghan insurgents. The new American administration prefers the term ‘mess’ in describing the situation. Both statements are true, unlike Mackay’s, but ultimately fail in describing the real problem in Afghanistan. The fact of the matter is that a majority of the Pushtan, a pro-Taliban ethnic group straddling the Afghan-Pakistan border that makes up about a third of Afghanistan’s population, will not stop fighting the established Afghan government until the Taliban is recognized as a legitimate force in Afghanistan politics. At least one British general has stated that progress cannot be made without making peace with the Taliban. The Taliban insurgency, which made more attacks against Western forces in the last year then in any other year of the war, has repeatedly shown that it cannot be stopped by military means.

From yesterday’s inquiry on the Hill it seems that elements within the Canadian opposition do not buy Mackay’s empty rhetoric on progress. Dawn Black of the NDP spoke of an increasingly bloody stalemate while Claude Bachand of the Bloc argued against any progress being made. It is clear that, unlike the U.S policy that will usher in a second Middle East surge within a matter of months, these two politicians would far rather Canada’s role in Afghanistan be ratcheted down, both to save lives and dollars.

Mackay’s accompanied announcement of a further $331 million for Afghanistan this year is of course unwelcome news given that the current world recession has already plunged the Canadian government into the red. Canadians are sure to hear more opposition to the war from all sides if costs continue to spiral upwards, as they repeatedly have since 2001, and the economic situation of the country worsens. This commentator waits impatiently for Mr. Ignatieff to signal the direction of his party in response to these new developments.

Related posts:

1. 127th Canadian Soldier Killed in Afghanistan One hundred and twenty-seven soldiers dead. That’s the causality count...
2. Will the real Success in Afghanistan be the Acceptance of a Timely Withdrawal? As Operation Moshtarak continues at this very moment it is...
3. Is 2011 a Realistic Date for the Withdrawal of Troops in Afghanistan? The last few weeks have seen a flurry of promises,...
4. Canada and Afghanistan; Strange Bedfellows That Are Soon to Part Company Just a week after refusing to entertain the idea of...
5. Canada’s Top Commander Jonathan Vance Voices Concerns About The Afghan Mission Brigadier-General Jonathon Vance, Canada’s commander in Afghanistan, has been the...

Tags: afghanistan war, harper, obama, peter mackay, taliban

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 9:10 pm and is filed under Canadian Armed Forces, Foreign Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.