Observations of a News Junkie

Stephen Harper has now made removing troops from Afghanistan by 2011 part of his campaign platform. I’m not impressed. One thing that I appreciated about him is that, while he previously set a firm date for withdrawal, he always seemed open to renegotiating. Many are pleased about the announcement, but then, so are the Taliban.

I am all for peace. I want the fighting to stop. I don’t want any more of our soldiers to die either in Afghanistan or anywhere else. I want a resolution to this war, and I believe reconstruction and development is essential – schools, hospitals, roads. We should help this country any way we can.

However, there are some people that are too corrupt and violent to have a civil discussion with. Sad, but true. If using force is the only way to bring democracy and stability to this nation, then I think it is a necessary evil. We have started a job there, and I think it would be the worst possible thing to leave it undone.

So many people are completely anti-war without considering the consequences of ending our involvement. Instead of arguing with those of that mindset, I hope they listen to the families of soldiers who have been killed. I have never heard any relative of troops lost in Afghanistan ask for a complete withdrawal as soon as possible. Most urge the government to stay as long as necessary to get the job done and restore safety to the Afghan people. I think they can teach something to those who have no stake in the war yet feel they have the best solution.

I don’t think a withdrawal date is a bad idea. I just think making it a concrete, non-negotiable campaign issue is the wrong approach. There are a lot of things that could happen between now and 2011 – both positive and negative. Hopefully other countries will step up to fill the gap we’ll leave, but if not, it’s possible all of the soldiers’ work will be in vain and the country will decline into chaos and worse violence again. If we’re going to pull out, let’s at least go with our task accomplished.

This is one election promise I would like to see broken. It might mean more Canadians are upset, but it could mean more Afghan people are safe and secure. Don’t social responsibility and global citizenship mean anything anymore? Or only when it relates to peace keeping?