Lowering the Flag in Afghanistan

Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ends as the battle for peace and stability in Central Asia rages on.

Canadian soldiers handed over control of bases in Kandahar yesterday to their American counterparts, bringing to an end the Canadian Forces' combat mission in the war in Afghanistan. Despite 157 soldiers killed and some 2,000 injured, the Toronto Star declares that the mission was worth it, as Canada and its allies helped turf the Taliban from power, extinguish al-Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan, and usher in a (somewhat) democratic government. “We also helped make Kandahar’s breadbasket bloom, funded 4,000 community schools, trained 1,500 health workers and vaccinated 7 million children against polio,” the editorialists write. Not that Canada's involvement was entirely positive – the editorialists quite rightly criticize the Harper government for “selling” the war as a means of bringing about peace and prosperity for all Afghans. “The world’s primary interest was simply to stop Taliban extremists from offering state protection to terrorists,” they write, and, by that measure, the Canadian Forces accomplished their mission.

On the other hand, Paul Robinson, writing in the Ottawa Citizen, concludes that, “regardless of what our war in Afghanistan may have done for Afghans, it has eroded our civilized instincts.” Whether it's Don Cherry routinely tearing up over those “beautiful boys” over in Central Asia, or yellow ribbons affixed to car windows across the country, the mission has clearly raised the level of militarism in this country. Robinson's concerns with this are many, the foremost being that it's now easier “to legitimize the waging of war and to militarize foreign policy” (case in point: Libya). Less noticeable is the effect it's had on the Department of National Defence, in which civilian control has slowly been ceded to military brass. All this has been made easier by a defence minister all too keen to be a friend of the troops – and to paint his political rivals as their opponents.

The National Post's editorialists are far more worried about what's unfolding across the border in Pakistan, where the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Lakshar-e-Taiba have grown in strength and audacity. “The war on terror has shifted – and Pakistan is its new front line,” write the editorialists. A majority of terrorist plots and attacks involve young men who've trained in Pakistan, including a handful of Canadians. Pakistan's nuclear arsenal grows unabated, and the stockpile's security could be compromised by ambitious jihadists. Canada's success in its Afghan combat role could easily be overshadowed by Pakistan's steady descent into anarchy.