Impossible Mission

The Prime Minister is determined for us not to discuss the mission in Afghanistan. Why? My guess is because it's not a winner for him politically. This is of course much bigger than politics and that is why it must be discussed and debated.

It is not enough to tell Canadians that we are there because the Afghan's want us there. It is not enough to say that girls now go to school. I have yet to hear one compelling argument as to what our goal is and how we plan to achieve it.

Oh, I know that we are there to "get the Taleban", but the various groups attacking us are going to be there forever. When they lose a man, he is replaced by two more and their recruitment appears to be gaining in strength, not weakening. The attacks are growing in number and strength and, as we have all read, everytime we change our tactics or strategy, they simply adapt.

A new study referred to in this article lays it out pretty clearly.

It turns out that a major power is much more likely to fail when its war aim requires some sort of co-operation on the part of the adversary or the citizens on the ground, in order to change a despised foreign or domestic policy, for example, or quell sectarian violence, or prop up a regime that's on shaky ground.

Of course the military don't seem to be in favour of studies.

"I look at this and see it has a formula, and I'm immediately turned off," says Lt.-Col. Doug Delaney, chair of the war studies program at the Royal Military College in Kingston.

While he makes good points about every situation being different, it seems to me that the criteria used by the study are still valid, in fact they are common sense.

However, Lt.-Col. Delaney then goes on to say this,

The challenge for the government is maintaining support for a conflict when people don't perceive a threat – of a failed state falling into the hands of extremists, for instance – particularly as Canadian deaths are rising, says Delaney.
It may well be that the key to bolstering Western resolve is another terrorist attack like 9/11 or the London transit bombings of two years ago, he says.


Fantastic! Keep 'em scared and they'll buy the mission. Brilliant.

Call me crazy, but that is not what I want to hear from the military. This isn't new information to many of us, but it's interesting to actually see it expressed for a change.

More on the Senlis comments here.