Tue - September 16, 2008
The Delusional NDP
On As It Happens tonight Terry Glavin had
to use some strong language about a nice lady, his member of parliament,
Denise Savoie. He called her clueless. She and her
party, the NDP, want Canada to abandon the mission in Afghanistan, and think
that can happen without plunging the country into another reign of
terror.
Posted at 10:05 PM Read More
Mon - September 8, 2008
The Canadians Led the Way
Michael Yon has a post today from Afghanistan,
about "one of the largest and most important missions of the entire war." The
Taliban are growing stronger and bolder, and he tried to prepare himself for a
humiliating failure. The plan to transport and install
a new turbine to the Kajaki Dam, right through enemy
territory, was called "Operation Suicide" by some young
soldiers.
Instead, Yon is happy to report: "The mission was a brilliant success against substantial odds."
Instead, Yon is happy to report: "The mission was a brilliant success against substantial odds."
Posted at 04:10 PM Read More
Fri - May 23, 2008
Making a difference in Afghanistan
Tylere Couture has an article
up on the home page of the Canada - Afghanistan
Solidarity Committee. He's a reservist serving on a CIMIC
team (Civilian Military Cooperation) in Kandahar City. Part of his job is
handling pleas for assistance from Afghans.
Posted at 02:21 PM Read More
Wed - April 30, 2008
War Rugs
Battleground: War Rugs from Afghanistan
opened last week at the Textile Museum of Canada. The exhibition
will be on display, in Toronto, until January 27, 2009.
Through three decades of international and civil war, Afghans have borne witness to disaster by weaving unprecedented images of battle and weaponry into their rugs. This exhibition presents 118 rugs that tell the story of the Afghan world turned upside down.
Posted at 11:43 AM Read More
Thu - April 17, 2008
Romania, now and then
Earlier this month NATO held meetings in
Bucharest. On the agenda were potential new members and the war in Afghanistan.
Canada lobbied for, and essentially received, additional support for
our mission in Kandahar province.
Posted at 12:40 PM Read More
Sat - March 29, 2008
Failing to communicate
The Prime Minister is not doing his job,
informing Canadians about the Kandahar mission in Afghanistan. That's one of the
observations in a report (pdf)
from the pollsters at Angus Reid. They did a survey after the parliamentary
vote
to extend the mission until 2011. 58% of their respondents were opposed to the
decision, and 61% say Harper and his government are still failing to effectively
explain the mission.
Posted at 04:45 PM Read More
Sun - March 16, 2008
The peace marchers are pro-war
On Thursday the House of Commons passed a
confidence motion, continuing the Afghanistan mission until July of 2011. It was
the right thing to do. The full
text, all 1,430 words, is printed below, after some other items I'd
like you to read.
I would have preferred the government's original wording, but accept the compromise fashioned out of the Liberal party's amendments. Instead of waiting until 2011 to review the situation in Afghanistan, the House is now on record saying that our troops will leave Kandahar by the end of that year. That might turn out to be the best course of action, and in any event after the next election a new House may have a different perspective.
I would have preferred the government's original wording, but accept the compromise fashioned out of the Liberal party's amendments. Instead of waiting until 2011 to review the situation in Afghanistan, the House is now on record saying that our troops will leave Kandahar by the end of that year. That might turn out to be the best course of action, and in any event after the next election a new House may have a different perspective.
Posted at 04:46 PM Read More
Mon - February 18, 2008
Bruce from Windsor
At the conference Saturday,
as the major worked down the list of the last century's wars, he emphasized the
civilian and military casualties, from the tens of millions dead to individuals
maimed, orphaned, bereaved. When he introduced the panel on the Afghan mission,
he spent a few extra minutes describing the tour of duty of Corporal Bruce
Moncur.
Posted at 12:42 PM Read More
Sun - February 17, 2008
Never Defeated
Yesterday I sat in on the last two sessions of
the 3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference. Heard the acting commander of the
Windsor Regiment, Major Ron Miller, a veteran of eight UN and NATO missions,
give a presentation entitled, "From Total War to Global Jihad: The Evolution
of Conflict to the 21st Century." Along the way he noted the rise and fall
of "classic peacekeeping." Policing a truce line has been replaced by a far more
complex challenge.
International intervention forces are now required not only to win the war but also to secure the peace, and close collaboration between defence, diplomacy, and development activities are critical to achieving success.
Posted at 03:56 PM Read More
Sat - February 9, 2008
Harper plays the Manley card
I find it hard to believe either the Liberals or
the Conservatives want to fight an election this spring. But the sabres are
rattling.
Steve at Far and Wide is warning Liberals that a fight over Afghanistan may not be wise.
Steve at Far and Wide is warning Liberals that a fight over Afghanistan may not be wise.
Posted at 04:07 PM Read More
Tue - January 29, 2008
Manley on the House
The House, CBC Radio's program on Canadian
politics and the occasional act of statesmanship, took a detailed look at the
Manley Report last
Saturday.
John Manley responded to questions on Afghanistan and performed a masterful put down of the petulant Michael Byers. The Afghan Ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, discussed his country's human rights deficit. And Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae, aka the former NDP premier of Ontario, talked about what his party likes about the report, including delaying any parliamentary vote until the spring.
John Manley responded to questions on Afghanistan and performed a masterful put down of the petulant Michael Byers. The Afghan Ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, discussed his country's human rights deficit. And Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae, aka the former NDP premier of Ontario, talked about what his party likes about the report, including delaying any parliamentary vote until the spring.
Posted at 01:43 PM Read More
Sun - January 27, 2008
Crossing Party LInes
I hadn't seen this when I wrote my post
on Friday. David
Bercuson in the Globe and Mail suggests a cabinet war committee,
and/or John Manley to serve as a special advisor to the Prime Minister on the
war effort.
Posted at 06:51 PM Read More
Fri - January 25, 2008
Expert advice
The Manley
report says what I hoped it would. Canada should stay in Kandahar, in
both a military and development role. And our NATO allies should send another
thousand soldiers too.
I've printed up a couple of copies and started circulating them to friends who still have doubts about Canada's mission in Afghanistan. I'm going to add on the recent article by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is dismayed by calls to withdraw the UN mandated troops.
I must admit though, reading and listening to the critics of the report, I do think they have raised one interesting point: not about the substance, but the process. Oddly enough, the panel which Manley chaired implicitly made a similar complaint in the report itself, about the way our Conservative Prime Minister has treated the issue, as a political football.
I've printed up a couple of copies and started circulating them to friends who still have doubts about Canada's mission in Afghanistan. I'm going to add on the recent article by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is dismayed by calls to withdraw the UN mandated troops.
I must admit though, reading and listening to the critics of the report, I do think they have raised one interesting point: not about the substance, but the process. Oddly enough, the panel which Manley chaired implicitly made a similar complaint in the report itself, about the way our Conservative Prime Minister has treated the issue, as a political football.
Posted at 06:24 PM Read More
Wed - January 23, 2008
The Manley Report
Yesterday the Independent Panel on Canada's
Future Role in Afghanistan released
its report to the public. Whether you support or oppose the current mission the
report is required reading. That's what I'm going to do right now. A pdf of the
report can be found here.
Of course I already have an opinion on what Canada should do. I joined with a number of others in supporting a submission to the panel by the newly formed Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee. We want Canada to stay, fighting the Taliban and helping to rebuild the country.
Of course I already have an opinion on what Canada should do. I joined with a number of others in supporting a submission to the panel by the newly formed Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee. We want Canada to stay, fighting the Taliban and helping to rebuild the country.
Posted at 12:19 PM Read More
Fri - November 16, 2007
Peace at all costs
Three cheers for Peter Stoffer, the member of
parliament for Sackville--Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia. The Council of Canadians
wants to stop the military from recruiting
in high schools. Where have we heard that before?
The New Democrat MP had a blunt response.
What nonsense... I know probably what their sentiment is: it's peace at all costs, and let's have a Kumbaya here...I don't find anything wrong at all with military personnel going into schools and letting them know what they do for a living ... The military can be a very, very good career for young men and women.
Posted at 01:33 PM Read More
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Published On: Sep 16, 2008 10:06 PM
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Published On: Sep 16, 2008 10:06 PM