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Here's a question for the masses - why isn't the government telling us how many Afghans Canadian Forces have captured and turned over to Afghan security forces?
Mr. Harper's government tells us that the number is a "state secret" - secret from whom?
The Taliban? The Afghanistanis? Presumably not, since - in theory, anyway - these men are prisoners of the Afghan national government.
Canadian voters?
eta: Andrew Coyne, you are a worthy opponent, sir. Misguided, alas, but brilliant and incisive. However, I think Chantal Herbert could probably take you - especially if you keep up with the false analogies.
Afghanistan is neither World War I nor World War II for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that our nation has not mobilized to fight in Afghanistan, our resources and our wealth has not been committed to fight in Afghanistan, and our government hasn't even the initimation of a suggestion of an idea of doing so - Mr. Harper is taking a page from Mr. Bush's playbook (who cribbed his notes from Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush Senior's actions in Kosovo and Gulf War I) and waging war on the cheap. Not in terms of dollars but in terms of lives.
I submit that no Canadian politician and certainly no Conservative government will ever make more than a token commitment to Afghanistan or any conflict where Canadian national interests, sovereignty and native citizenry are not directly threatened.
In World War I, one in eight Canadian men enlisted - One. In. Eight. When Canada had a population of less than 10 million. Today, Canada has a population of roughly 33 million and there are roughtly 2,500 Canadian Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan.
2,500 soldiers tasked to do a job that would require at least a brigade, if not a division, to do properly (two to four times more soldiers than currnently deployed). 2.500 men and women assigned to a mission that has become the centerpiece of Mr. Harper's foreign policy. A mission to which he has personally committed himself - 2,500 from a nation of 33,000,000.
And that is only one of the ways in which Afghanistan in not World War I.
Mr. Harper's government tells us that the number is a "state secret" - secret from whom?
The Taliban? The Afghanistanis? Presumably not, since - in theory, anyway - these men are prisoners of the Afghan national government.
Canadian voters?
eta: Andrew Coyne, you are a worthy opponent, sir. Misguided, alas, but brilliant and incisive. However, I think Chantal Herbert could probably take you - especially if you keep up with the false analogies.
Afghanistan is neither World War I nor World War II for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that our nation has not mobilized to fight in Afghanistan, our resources and our wealth has not been committed to fight in Afghanistan, and our government hasn't even the initimation of a suggestion of an idea of doing so - Mr. Harper is taking a page from Mr. Bush's playbook (who cribbed his notes from Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush Senior's actions in Kosovo and Gulf War I) and waging war on the cheap. Not in terms of dollars but in terms of lives.
I submit that no Canadian politician and certainly no Conservative government will ever make more than a token commitment to Afghanistan or any conflict where Canadian national interests, sovereignty and native citizenry are not directly threatened.
In World War I, one in eight Canadian men enlisted - One. In. Eight. When Canada had a population of less than 10 million. Today, Canada has a population of roughly 33 million and there are roughtly 2,500 Canadian Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan.
2,500 soldiers tasked to do a job that would require at least a brigade, if not a division, to do properly (two to four times more soldiers than currnently deployed). 2.500 men and women assigned to a mission that has become the centerpiece of Mr. Harper's foreign policy. A mission to which he has personally committed himself - 2,500 from a nation of 33,000,000.
And that is only one of the ways in which Afghanistan in not World War I.
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