Dear Mackay: Got Some Proof of That?

In the latest bit of Con$ervative plagarism, we find Defense Minister Mackay claiming that Iran is providing weapons to the insurgency in Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters after the festivities, MacKay accused Afghanistan's neighbour, Iran, of propelling the conflict by providing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or roadside bombs, to insurgents there.

"We're very concerned that weapons are coming in from Iran. We're very concerned that these weapons are going to the insurgents."

Although Iran has been accused of interfering in Afghanistan in the past, MacKay's comments mark the first time a Canadian government official has made the accusation publicly. MacKay said the Iranian government is aware of his concerns.

I've heard this before somewhere...oh yes, wasn't the US claiming that Iran was arming resistance in Iraq at various times?

Weapons from Iran (or any of a number of other places) may well be winding up in Afghanistan - but that's not my point here. Making vague allusions without any demonstrable proof is nothing more than vacuous posturing.

In fact, if we take a quick wander over to The Globe and Mail's story on the subject, we find that Mackay is trying to set the stage for Canada's involvement in a protracted war in Afghanistan.

Mr. MacKay said the length of the mission "will be decided by Parliament in a fair, democratic debate and vote" but made no secret of his minority government's desire to stay until 2011 — and possibly a lot longer.

According to Mackay, "we are providing peace":

He said "remarkable progress" has been made, but it's still early days. "We're providing peace in a war-torn country. Certainly that takes time.

Really? Are we now? Or are our forces over there simply serving as a unifying target that the various factions can focus their hostility upon? There is a considerable amount of evidence and past history which suggests that Canada's presence in Afghanistan is doing little more than holding off an inevitable civil war.

"Five years, six years is a relatively short time, in the grand scheme of things, to build a country that has been under such difficult circumstances for so many years."

Ah - bingo. That's the closest to reality based thinking that has come out of the Con$. I've said for years that what we are really talking about is a multi-generation colonization effort to introduce any kind of meaningful democracy in either Afghanistan or Iraq. However, multi-generational means something more like 75+ years of direct involvement by foreign powers ... and that's after you've more or less stabilized the country. (which clearly has not happened yet)

Today, Taliban extremists are back and leading a growing insurgency. There are renewed fears that Afghanistan could slide back into becoming a failed state and terrorist haven.

How would I phrase this? - Well Duh!

I doubt the Taliban ever actually left - after all it is their home. They went to ground for a while - and then re-emerged when the US had itself well committed in Iraq. Pretty basic opportunism on their part - and surprisingly rational strategy.

It also calls question to what Mackay is calling "progress" in Afghanistan. While there may be some superficial progress, it's fairly clear that the resistance can quietly organize itself in the background, and emerge when it's to their advantage.

Mackay's accusations towards Iran are irrelevant in the bigger picture. Canadians need to ask themselves a series of questions around our experience in Afghanistan:

1. Should Canada be trying to intercede in what amounts to a growing civil war?


2. Is Canada willing and able to become what amounts to a colonial power? (Which will be the case if we accept a decades-long engagement in Afghanistan)

Mr. MacKay was accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier. David Wilkins, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, also came along at Mr. MacKay's request. Mr. Wilkins called Ottawa's contribution in Afghanistan "a great example of what a freedom-loving people can do to help other people gain freedom and democracy."

This little gem makes me wonder just who is minding whom - especially with Harper's foreign policy looking more and more like he's turning Canada into a vassal state to the Americans. With respect to the ever increasing propagandization of stories of Afghanistan from the Con$ervatives, Canadians need to ask themselves whether the HarperCon$ are even telling us enough of the truth about Afghanistan for us to honestly feel confident that the situation is understood by voters.