Afghanistan: End it

You know, I was originally pro the Afghanistan mission. Then, since Canada re-upped its deployment there, I was on the fence. Now, I've moved over to the "get out now" side.

I don't know how we can extricate ourselves before our mission ends. But unless we get a clear mandate for what we're going to achieve there, and unless that mandate is consistent with actual improvements to the lives of Afghanis, we have to leave.

It comes down to what I've said about every UN mission Canada joins in on: it all depends on the mandate. If we have clear objectives and clear means of achieving them, then we can be okay with the mission. (Cyprus is a good example of that, if a little old.)

If we're to fight the insurgents in order to clear the way for a natural gas pipeline, we've gotta bring the soldiers home.