People's Voice Editorial, Nov. 1-15, 2007
The recent so-called "opinion survey" conducted by Environics in Afghanistan is a futile P.R. gimmick, no doubt cooked up by the Harper Tories and the military brass. Given the repeated attempts to manipulate public opinion in Canada regarding the war, the reliability of this exercise is dubious, at best.
It's time for a reality check. As a security analyst who has worked in and out of Afghanistan for decades told The Australian newspaper, "This place is going down fast, which is something the international community simply will not understand."
The Taliban insurgency is gaining strength, fuelled by resentment at NATO bombing of civilians, government corruption, billions of dollars of wasted aid, a lack of jobs and record crops of opium, the raw material for heroin. The fighting is spreading to places once relatively safe, including Kabul and the western and northern regions. In Kabul, where suicide bombs have killed dozens in recent weeks, foreigners are increasingly ordered into "lockdown" mode in their heavily protected compounds.
The Associated Press reports that insurgency‑related deaths this year have passed the 5,000 mark, including 650 civilians, many killed in air strikes called in to support NATO ground troops. Officially, unemployment is near 40 per cent. Millions live with no running water, sewers or electricity. Kabul is crammed with tens of thousands of squatters camped in mud brick huts (no doubt passing the hours chatting with pollsters from Environics), and middle-class residents are lucky to have power a few hours a day.
Canada has now wasted $5 billion on the disastrous military mission in Afghanistan. It's time to shut it down and direct that money towards genuine aid and development projects controlled by grassroots organizations.