The reason for the Canadian presence in Afghanistan is obvious, even if some in Canada, particularly in Quebec to my great shame, seem to have already forgotten. The war in Afghanistan started on Sept 11th, 2001, and it is Bin Laden's war. Since Canada is a member of Nato, and since the Nato charter stipulates clearly that an attack against one member of our defense alliance is an attack against all members, it's our duty and obligation as Canadians to be involved along side our friends and allies, a duty also shared by all member nations. In fact, this is the first real test Nato is submitted to since the Berlin blockade, which was not a direct attack but a serious challenge, brought about its creation in 1949. Other interventions were successfully endeavored, like Bosnia or Kosovo, but they didn't follow an attack against Nato. These operations were designed to prevent the spread of the unrest to other parts of Europe and interdict an attempt at genocide (to protect muslims should i point out). This time however, the stakes are even higher. The very existence of Nato is in the balance; we are responding to an attack!
The second reason for Canada to continue this mission until success is achieved is to respect the commitment we made to the Afghan people. Were we to cut and run, the people who put their trust in us, and with whom we are working to rebuild that country into a stable and responsible member of the international community, would be massacred by the Taliban in the most horrible way. This would be an indelible stain and a great source of shame for a country like ours, but the consequences would not be limited to this bruise on our collective conscience, not by a long shot.
The third reason for the absolute necessity to succeed in Afghanistan is the very security of all of Nato's member nations, including Canada. Not only would a Nato defeat to the Taliban render Nato obsolete, but imagine what will happen if this dirty ragtag bunch of scumbag barbarians can boast victory against the most powerful military alliance ever seen on this earth. The Taliban and Al Qaeda would have proven that, despite our massively superior military power, the West is weak at heart and lacks the resolve necessary to defend itself, and that we can be defeated. A tidal wave of new terrorist recruits would flow to Afghanistan, and soon after, bombs would start blowing up everywhere, to the point of threatening us, and indeed the World, with economic collapse.
There are those who think we can negotiate peace with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. They forget who were the aggressors. They forget we are dealing with individuals who do not hesitate to kill themselves to kill others, or to commit the worst tortures, even on other muslims, because of slightly different beliefs (sunnis vs shiites). They forget we are facing religious fanatics convinced to be the sole owners of the only absolute truth. Those killers do not attack us for what we do or do not do, and they are not interested in negotiations. They attack us for what we are, or rather, what we are not. We are not like them. We do not believe in the same things they do. We are "infidels", therefore we must be converted, by force if necessary, or else we must die. If someone tells me he can negotiate with people like that, i'll tell him to go right ahead, but that he should put his affairs in order before he leaves. A Will should suffice, no need for funeral arrangements, he's not coming back. He'll end up on YouTube getting his head cut off and they'll probably throw his body to the dogs.
A military defeat would be bad enough, but there'd be even worse to consider after Afghanistan fell back into Taliban hands. The Musharraf government, already largely contested by extremists in Pakistan, would almost certainly fall, and then, God help us all! Who would end up in control of the country's nuclear arsenal, and what threat would they pose? Add to that the threat posed by Iran, which may be no further than 2 years away from building their first atomic bomb, if the world doesn't rapidly act much more forcefully to prevent it. Economic sanctions alone will not work. And add to that the current political wind in the United States that blows the way of a retreat from Iraq, which would leave the country in chaos and ripe for the terrorists to take over without opposition. If all that doesn't frighten you, it frightens the hell out of me!
That is why Canada must absolutely continue to play the role it can play well, to stabilize Afghanistan and pressure Iran. Our work there is not only important and just and humanly profitable to the people of Afghanistan, it is also vital for our security and economic future. Abandoning Afghanistan wouldn't mean peace, and if Canadians would stop dying there, they would soon start dying here in much greater numbers, the victims being defenseless civilians, and we would still end up having to fight those terrorists, this time on our own soil! Let's hope those who sleep will wake up and that our leaders will do the right thing, because the price of failure would be tremendously high.
Lightspeed.