Tough Call

This past weekend there were a series of nationwide demonstrations calling for a withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan. Canadian soldiers have been in Afghanistan since the American-led invasion temporarily toppled the Taliban government in 2001. Billions have been spent on policing, training Afghani security forces and militarily resisting the, seemingly, inevitable return of the Taliban. Some funds have also been earmarked to get Afghanistan going again economically and socially after years of war and neglect by the West.

Obviously not enough is being done. Canada is neither investing enough to rebuild the country nor is it putting enough, as the Americans would say, boots on the ground to maintain a negative peace. Despite all our enthusiastic prime minister's words of support for our troops and denunciations of "cowards" and "peaceniks", he's still not delivering. The poor in Afghanistan know very clearly that some have gotten rich since the invasion but by and large they are not being touched by the promised "development". Thus they make easy supporters of the Taliban.

I find myself caught between Harper and the various peace and justice groups that held their day of action on October 28. I am firmly committed to nonviolence and think that war and violence should be the ultimate last resort. I also don't like to see Canadian soldiers killing Afghanis in their own country. Yet, as an alternative, I'm concerned that leaving Afghanistan immediately will have no positive effect on the lives of the people there. Ultimately my first concern is for their wellbeing.

The problem is that if we leave this will be another example of the West abandoning Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, amongst others, defeated the Soviet Union for Ronald Regan. What did they get for their troubles? Abandonment and isolation. If we do so again then we are only perpetuating the cycle of hatred and resentment that Afghanis and Muslims rightly feel toward the hypocritical West.

This is not an easy subject. I don't have any answers to offer. I just know that we can't leave Afghanistan at the roadside again like an unwanted candy wrapper.

If you want a reason to keep Canada working for a new Afghanistan (hopefully without the use of force) watch a movie called Osama. It will break your heart. We cannot allow that nightmare to happen again.