Everybody Is Talking About Talking About Afghanistan. So Let's Talk About It

For several weeks now, politicians, analysts, senators and others have been talking about the need to discuss Afghanistan post-2011. After all, what was the point of all that sacrifice if it looks like we may just withdraw everything after 2011, very likely before our objectives were achieved? A big part of the problem is that those objectives were never discussed by our politicians in a consistent manner. From the Toronto Star, here's historian Jack Granatstein:

“It’s simply extraordinary the way the government and the opposition and to a substantial extent you guys (the media) have just sat on your hands as if the issue is so difficult, so x hot that no one has the courage to raise it,” he said in an interview.

“We’ve spent so much money, so much blood and I think done substantial good and now we just appear to be tossing it away,” he said.

A little later in the story, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff also presses this point:

“There has been discussion for a long time about civil, humanitarian work, all kinds of stuff, but let’s be clear what that might be. Canadians are entitled to know exactly what the Canadian presence after 2011 should be,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said after Clinton’s comment.

“Our party is willing to have a debate about that. But it’s the absence of any clarity from the government on this issue which is the question,” he said.

But what Ignatieff is saying is actually part of the problem. Yes, there does need to be a debate. But why wait for the government to enunciate a clear position? Why not simply clarify the Liberal position on Canada's role in Afghanistan post-2011? What exactly would you like to see, Mr. Ignatieff?

Do you want to see Canadian Forces trainers providing tactical training to the Afghan National Army? Do you want to have us provide strategic consultations with NATO and the Afghan government based on our extensive experience in Kandahar? What about some security for our civilian aid projects, so that our humanitarian workers don't need to rely on Mongolian troops to protect them from Taliban hit squads? All of these seem like rational, sensible ideas. Are you on board with them? Aside from the army, what do you see for Canada's other priorities in Afghanistan, such as  in democracy and justice institution building?

We're still waiting for all the parties to start staking out their positions. This is long, long overdue.