There's Seems To Be Something Wrong With The President's Magic Wand.

Libya, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan. . .further to The Charade in Chicago, my column in today's Ottawa Citizen makes the case that Prime Minister Harper was right to say yes to funding Afghanistan's security after 2014 and to say no to extending the Canadian Forces' troop training mission there.

I'm not impressed with Canada's new foreign policy direction at all, but still. On the Afghan front, the question is: what now?  Here's how I'd answer: 

The year 2014 is a presidential election year in Afghanistan. We can start with that. Canada should act now to re-dedicate its meagre resources in Afghanistan and assert its influence in NATO to the purpose of shoring up the organic defences every civilized society requires to function — a literate population, emancipated women, the rule of law, a free press and fully free and fair elections. No matter what else happens in 2014, an election that produces a credible result is the only thing that will matter in the long run.

For the skinny on Afghanistan's 2014 presidential elections I cobbled together an elaboration on the Citizen's editorial blogs page, here.