On Afghanistan: Stop Wasting Time, Stop Whining.
John Manley: Courageous Afghan Voters Deserve Better From Us:
"Canadians have paid dearly in both lives and treasure over the past eight years for a good cause in a country far away, little known to us, where our direct interests are not at all clear. If this sacrifice is not to be wasted, the next Afghan government, whether led by Mr. Karzai or rival Abdullah Abdullah, must be held to a much higher standard of competence and integrity. ISAF forces cannot continue to provide support for a government that is flagrant in its disdain for its own people. Corrupt governors and warlords can and must be replaced by competent technocrats. And a new approach by Washington and its allies, stressing economic development and improved governance, must be vigorously pursued in addition to training up Afghan security forces. No more time can be wasted."
Nigel Hannaford Talks To The Taliban:
"Nation-building is painfully slow, but thanks to western intervention, Kabul is well on the way to an effective, battle-ready army with looser rules of engagement than NATO. And while you have bloodied NATO, what western governments find it indelicate to point out is nevertheless true: you have lost far more men than they have, and America has the battlefield edge. There can be no successful set piece engagement with NATO forces, as you learned from the Canadians a few years ago. Therefore there can be no triumphant march on Kabul, only more bombings in an attempt to shake western resolve to stay long enough to give the central government the tools it needs to maintain power."
I am so sick of the whining in this country. By Gross Domestic Product, Canada ranks as the 11th richest country in the world. Our debt burden is the lowest in the G8. Mark Collins is correct.
ISAF Commander Stanley McChrystal understands how to win: "Embrace the people. . . earn their trust. . .seek out the underprivileged, the disenfranchised, the disaffected. . .work with the children and students. . .shield the people from harm. . .live and train together. . .plan and operate together. . .be a positive force in the community. . .confront corrupt officials. . .listen and learn from our Afghan colleagues. . . improve daily."
That's from his new Counterinsurgency Guidance document.
It's how you win a people's war: "Obey orders in all your actions. Do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses. Turn in everything captured. Speak politely. Pay fairly for what you buy. Return everything you borrow. Pay for anything you damage. Do not hit or swear at people. Do not damage crops. Do not take liberties with women. Do not ill-treat captives."
That's from Mao Tse-tung's directions to the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, standardized by the People's Liberation Army in 1947.
As for any stoppist whiners whose comments I delete here, you have nothing to complain about.
"Canadians have paid dearly in both lives and treasure over the past eight years for a good cause in a country far away, little known to us, where our direct interests are not at all clear. If this sacrifice is not to be wasted, the next Afghan government, whether led by Mr. Karzai or rival Abdullah Abdullah, must be held to a much higher standard of competence and integrity. ISAF forces cannot continue to provide support for a government that is flagrant in its disdain for its own people. Corrupt governors and warlords can and must be replaced by competent technocrats. And a new approach by Washington and its allies, stressing economic development and improved governance, must be vigorously pursued in addition to training up Afghan security forces. No more time can be wasted."
Nigel Hannaford Talks To The Taliban:
"Nation-building is painfully slow, but thanks to western intervention, Kabul is well on the way to an effective, battle-ready army with looser rules of engagement than NATO. And while you have bloodied NATO, what western governments find it indelicate to point out is nevertheless true: you have lost far more men than they have, and America has the battlefield edge. There can be no successful set piece engagement with NATO forces, as you learned from the Canadians a few years ago. Therefore there can be no triumphant march on Kabul, only more bombings in an attempt to shake western resolve to stay long enough to give the central government the tools it needs to maintain power."
I am so sick of the whining in this country. By Gross Domestic Product, Canada ranks as the 11th richest country in the world. Our debt burden is the lowest in the G8. Mark Collins is correct.
ISAF Commander Stanley McChrystal understands how to win: "Embrace the people. . . earn their trust. . .seek out the underprivileged, the disenfranchised, the disaffected. . .work with the children and students. . .shield the people from harm. . .live and train together. . .plan and operate together. . .be a positive force in the community. . .confront corrupt officials. . .listen and learn from our Afghan colleagues. . . improve daily."
That's from his new Counterinsurgency Guidance document.
It's how you win a people's war: "Obey orders in all your actions. Do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses. Turn in everything captured. Speak politely. Pay fairly for what you buy. Return everything you borrow. Pay for anything you damage. Do not hit or swear at people. Do not damage crops. Do not take liberties with women. Do not ill-treat captives."
That's from Mao Tse-tung's directions to the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, standardized by the People's Liberation Army in 1947.
As for any stoppist whiners whose comments I delete here, you have nothing to complain about.
posted by Terry Glavin at 1:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home