It's time to shift debate about Afghan mission, author says
Published Thursday November 6th, 2008
One of the co-authors of a new book that examines the contribution of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan says it's time to reframe the debate over the mission away from Canadian casualties and focus on the work troops are doing to help ordinary Afghans.
"We're discussing the Afghan mission totally in the context of casualties. I hope (this book) will change the nature of the debate," said Prof. Lee Windsor of the University of New Brunswick's Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society.
He made the comments after dedicating the book titled Kandahar Tour: The Turning Point in Canada's Afghan Mission at a ceremony with members of The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment.
Windsor said he was amazed when he heard public debate over the mission last year.
"We knew that the kind of discussions that were being held in public didn't match up with what we were hearing ourselves," he said.
When he and co-authors David Charters and Brent Wilson set out to write the book, they wanted to provide greater insight on all fronts.
What they didn't bank on was the tour they chose to write about would see the shift away from heavy fighting into reconstruction, Windsor said.
"Finally, the things that all of the critics were demanding (happened), an increased emphasis on diplomacy, on aid and on reconstruction became a main effort in 2007, but nobody bothered to let everyone in Canada know that."
The focus remained on fighting and casualties.
Lt.-Col. Rob Walker commanded the battle group in Afghanistan. He said he has read the book and appreciates the insight Windsor and his co-authors have weaved together.
"It's putting what we do into words so we can understand ourselves and convey that message to Canadians," Walker said.
He said it also helps explain to Canadians what the 18 soldiers who died while under his command were doing to help bring hope to strangers.
"It's like the dedication at the beginning of the book says, it's for us who returned to help remember the sacrifices of the soldiers that went overseas," Walker said.
Windsor said providing that context may be the most important thing.
"It's a much broader discussion of the things they were doing when they died, the kinds of operations that they were doing to stand Kandahar back up and make it the agriculture powerhouse it used to be," Windsor said.
Signs of progress were obvious to Windsor, who travelled to Afghanistan to research the book.
"A lot of ditch-digging, believe it or not."
He said he realizes that may not placate those who want to hear about schools, clinics and hospitals being built in Kandahar.
While ditches and culverts don't sound like important things, Windsor said, they are integral to an irrigation system in the province that once saw farms thrive.
"What's needed most of all is water. The reason that the Taliban and the drug lords are so powerful is because they've hijacked the limited amount of water that's available for use in the irrigation system," he said.
The lack of water has made growing difficult and forced farmers to rely on the opium crop, Windsor said.
"They don't want to grow it. They're not growing it to make money; they're growing it to survive. So, if you put water back into the villages, farmers can grow everything that they used to grow on all of the land that they lease."
Maj. Malcolm Berry was task force chaplain during the mission.
He has begun reading the book and appreciates that someone gone to the effort to get the real story out.
"It's absolutely spot on," he said.
He commended Windsor in particular.
"Lee brings a particular knowledge and insight to it. He understood what he was seeing, and he had the courage to come to Afghanistan and walk the walk," Berry said.
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