Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee co-founder Terry Glavin and Nasrine Gross, an Afghan-American writer, sat down with CPAC’s Peter Van Dusen to talk about the current Afghan detainee affair, and the future prospects for Afghanistan. Wait for the video to start and then skip to 23:40 to begin the interview.
As discussed in the video, the real story here isn’t the current treatment of detainees in Afghanistan, contrary to what is being framed by the media. Terry Glavin explains that much of the controversy is based on three year old allegations of prisoners before the agreement was overhauled.
Nasrine Gross says that although the detainee issue is an important one, there are so many more vital, urgent, and desperate issues that are far more worthy of our attention. And the real scandal in Ottawa right now isn’t the fact that the opposition are hung up on three year old allegations, nor that the Conservative government is ignoring the issue. No, the real trouble with Afghanistan is that absolutely nothing has been discussed, whatsoever, as to what Canada’s long-term vision for Afghanistan.
What legacy will we be leaving behind? If we’re not “cutting and running”, we should be leaving Afghanistan in a more secure, stable, empowered state than it was when we arrived. Afghan soldiers still need training. The role of our military continues to be extremely important in Afghanistan, yet neither our government nor the opposition seem to be interested in articulating this fact.
As Terry Glavin says, across the political spectrum you have people who are fed up with the detainee issue. This idea of creating special prisons, or some kind of extra-judicial oversight is ridiculous. We need a new conversation about Afghanistan that is respectful of Afghan sovereignty, and respectful of their democratic ambitions. Things aren’t going to change overnight. Not against the Taliban, and not for human rights.
Like it or not, the ISAF military presence is the key to any stable future for the country of Afghanistan. Canadians may not want to be a part of that future, but it doesn’t change the fact.
Related
The Torch links to that report by the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee. There’s another Terry Glavin interview at the link as well.
As much as I’d like Canada to continue its mission in Afghanistan, and especially the combat mission, the only way I can see that happening is if the LPC forms the next government and proposes that the mission continue. Its kind of ‘only Nixon can go to China’ sort of thing, and Canadian opinion on the problems of Afghanistan needs a Liberal champion to convince a Canadian media elite about the worth of that mission. To me thats a shame and an indictment of the current government’s ability to sell the mission and the present media’s capacity to see past the horse race politics and the CF members death watch, but I think that’s the Canadian political reality of it.
The LPC has no interest in Afghanistan and everybody knows it’s a vote-killer so nobody brings it up at all. Which is kind of a strange thing to do since we’re not at all preparing for our transition into exiting the country.
I think the best thing we could do right now is stop obsessing on the detainee issue, and focus on what needs to be done over the next 365 days.
”As Terry Glavin says, across the political spectrum you have people who are fed up with the detainee issue.”
And isn’t it curious that on this issue, there are no polls…..
there are polls on changing the national anthem, yet months of non-stop ‘Afghan detainee’ and no polls.
The ultimate irony is if Harper continues to limp along with Minority gov’ts, the LPC will eventually blame Harper for Canada abandoning Afghanistan.
Based on what I have heard and read, if a Liberal government were to become a reality, we wouldn’t need to worry about Afghanistan because there would be no troops that would hang around and volunteer for or under these snakes.
What a vision to behold, a mass exodus from our courageous women and men, giving a heartfelt ‘fuddle duddle’ to these pathetic traitors on the left!
I eagerly await what the first Liberal mission would be. Sudan? Haiti? Where?
People forget that the initial mission was to end in 2007. Check this link for a story:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/05/17/afghandebate05172006.html
And then in 2009:
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=8f226100-05a0-46b8-8830-10c96966f72c&k=31999
Here are a series of links from CBC, 2001 – 2006:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/afghanistan/timeline.html
I find it interesting that the mission itself changed a few times, and that it was extended twice. I could be extended again, but each extension was voted on in the HoC… be interesting to see how the “loyal” opposition would vote this time. We know how the NDP and Bloc would vote.
Latest from Mr Glavin:
“I Bet You Thought It’s Just The Combat Mission That’s Coming To End Next Year, Right?”
What a political mess, craven hearts on all sides.
Mark
Ottawa
The MP’s can voice their disgust of the Taliban circus in QP quite easily.
1) Hold a press conference leave your caucus and sit and as Independent in disgust for reducing parliament into the joke it has become.
2) You can remain in your party but they may boot you or refuse to sign your papers when a campaign is called.
3) We have a single QC MP who has been returned 3x?