"I'm not surprised that Canadians are uncertain and conflicted. . ."

David Aaronovitch: "And if we were to pull out now (and forget here the question of relationships with our allies, and imagine that they do the same), what then? Happy, peaceful Taleban, alone to do what they will with their statues and women, free to find their own way to God and content to allow everyone else to do the same? Happy fundamentalists of Swat, uninflamed by trans-border bombings, taking their part in a peaceful Pakistan?"

Jawed Ludin: "Great progress has been made and Canada has been a key contributor. But we haven't got there. So I think I will expect Canada to remain significantly engaged."

Ron Hoffman: The goal is to put Afghanistan on the road to self-sufficiency and there has been unprecedented change. "I'm confident that Afghans will prevail. They're people who are resilient and determined and talented. . . it's difficult for Canadians to understand a country as complex as Afghanistan is, and so far from Canada. . .I'm not surprised that Canadians are uncertain and conflicted over whether we are making progress."

I'm not surprised, either.

James Clark of the Toronto Coalition to Stop The War (taking time off from celebrating the Khomeinist tyranny in Tehran with Iranian diplomats and swapping notes with Hamas and Hezbollah in Cairo), lays the ground for an "outreach" campaign: "Whether or not this translates into bigger numbers on demonstrations remains to be seen, but the key task now is education and outreach. If the movement can expand on these fronts, it will be better poised to mobilize when the tide comes back in again."

I'm all for mobilization, too. You can sign up here. The struggle continues.

(Update: Norm Geras puts his finger on the root cause of suicide bombing.)