07) WE ARE STILL LOSING THE WAR

 

People's Voice Editorial

 

            Amidst smug back-patting by pro-war politicians and pundits, the flag has been lowered on Canada's direct military involvement in the US-led occupation of Afghanistan.

 

            An estimated 50,000 people have died as a direct result of the war, most of them Afghan civilians or insurgents, and about 3,400 occupation soldiers, including 158 Canadians.

 

            The cost of this tragedy has been about $22 billion for Canadian taxpayers, and still rising. More veterans have committed suicide in recent weeks, victims of post-traumatic stress disorder related to their experiences in uniform. Yet these casualties are not counted among the "official" Canadian deaths.

 

            Violence in Afghanistan is growing. On average, over 100 Afghan troops and police are killed every week, and another 300 wounded. Two Canadian aid workers were killed in a March 27 attack against foreigners at a luxury hotel, one of the "safest" places in Kabul. This attack came just hours after a Taliban assault killed eleven police officers in Jalalabad.

 

            Western leaders claim that life expectancy for Afghans has improved over the past decade, but the CIA's own figures appear to contradict those proclamations. Recent polls indicate that Afghans favour the Taliban over NATO forces and their own "elected" government. In his recent book about the Afghan war, former Globe and Mail correspondent Graeme Smith writes, "We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart... We're leaving behind a great big mess."

 

            Mr. Harper, put a lid on your shameful "patriotic" nonsense. Simply put, Canada and our NATO allies lost this war by any measure that really counts. The time has come to end Canada's role as a "partner" of the Pentagon, and to adopt an independent Canadian foreign policy based on peace and disarmament.

 

(The above article is from the April 1-15, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)