the walrus

foreign affairs 3d v i s ion

Can Canada reconcile its defence, diplomacy, and development objectives in Afghanistan?

by Taylor Owen and Patrick Travers photography by Martin Adler

hundred and twenty years before accidentally struck a house during a heaviest fighting is) in 2009, all national Canada’s involvement in Afghan- firefight between nato troops and the parties save the New Democrats agree istan, a British prime minister Taliban. President Hamid Karzai has that the humanitarian costs of with- Aidentified the issue at the heart of cur- summed up Afghanistan’s vulnerable drawing completely from the coun- rent attempts to defeat the Taliban and position, stating, “We can’t prevent the try outweigh the many challenges of reconstruct the country. In the midst of terrorists from coming from Pakistan, staying. Indeed, successive Canadian the “Great Game” between the British and we can’t prevent the coalition from governments have ultimately justified Empire and Tsarist Russia over influ- bombing the terrorists, and our child­ the mission in similar terms. Unlike ence in Central Asia, William Gladstone ren are dying because of this.” Gladstone, we are trying to help the Af- urged his fellow citizens to “remember Karzai’s comment encapsulates the ghans build a viable and independent that the sanctity of life in the hill vil- challenge Canada now faces in Afghan- state. With the official debate over Can- lages of Afghanistan, among the winter istan. We must win local support for ada’s presence resolved for the time be- snows, is as inviolable in the eye of Al- reconstruction efforts while also mak- ing, the question remains: how do we mighty God, as can be your own.” ing war. These two tasks are not easily go about building peace while we’re Preserving the sanctity of life, how- reconciled. As Afghan legislator Shu­ still at war? ever, is difficult when the enemy strikes kria Barakzai has warned, killing civil- unexpectedly, blends into the local pop- ians will undermine nato’s mission in t the outset of our involvement in ulace, and enjoys growing support. Last Afghanistan (to say nothing of harsh A Afghanistan, shortly after 9/11, a October, for example, some twenty Af- treatment of detainees). senior official from a Canadian aid or- ghan civilians were killed during two Although this poses a dilemma, it’s ganization had a call put out to the De- separate nato attacks. First, a 2 a.m. no reason to leave — a point on which partment of National Defence to find helicopter strike on Taliban fighters a near consensus has emerged. While out if we were at war. With strict rules destroyed several huts in the village the Liberal Party supports moving for­ about neutrality in place, his agency of Ashogoh. The same day, a rocket ces out of Kandahar province (where the wanted to determine what its involve-

44 image provided by panos the walrus 3D Vision According to the Senlis Council, the total defence expenditure for all parties has outpaced ful for the advancement of military you can’t build schools in a war zone. The initial Canadian team in Kabul objectives. It’s humanitarianism as a Others suggest that the suffering that was acclaimed for their collaborative development funding more than tenfold, and the ratio is similar for Canadian spending. campaign for hearts and minds rather persists in the absence of humanitarian work. They benefited from their small than as a moral responsibility. assistance is increasing support for the size and the presence of an active am- ment would be. An officer put the agen- dahar on January 15, 2006, it was a strik- killed in a clearly marked truck; a Tal- It will not always be possible to simul­ Taliban, making the military fight more bassador; personal connections and cy on hold, only to return and say that ing blow to Canada’s strategy in Afghan­ iban spokesperson stated that aid or- taneously achieve all our goals, and some difficult. dnd, in conjunction with the joint experience in the field allowed he’d have to get back to them. istan. In many ways, Berry personified ganizations thought to be working for policies will inevitably contradict others. Prime Minister’s Office, has taken the them to overcome bureaucratic cultures. In part, this confusion reflects the 3D. Working alongside development American interests were legitimate tar- Indeed, Canadian involvement in Af- lead on strategic decision-making in But with increased deployment to Kan- changing nature of international con- specialists and protected by the mili- gets. On July 28, after twenty-four years ghanistan has been many things to many conflicts, which makes sense if secur­ dahar, the advantage of scale was lost. flict. Canada’s long-held (and somewhat tary, he was part of the effort to rebuild of active involvement in Afghanistan, people. What began as an exercise in ity is viewed as a prerequisite for hu- As the Taliban grew in strength, new mythical) view of peacekeeping does the country. Since Berry’s death, non- msf announced that it would be pull- national security and a response to manitarian action. security restrictions emerged, and the not apply when the peace must be built military personnel have largely been ing out. global terrorism has gradually shifted But the reality is that the three Ds military took the lead. before it can be kept. The use of a neu- confined to secure bases in Kandahar. The issue of civilian protection is toward humanitarian assistance and are fundamentally interconnected, and In Ottawa, the level of coordination tral blue helmet force to separate two His replacement, Gavin Buchan, would central to the 3D challenge. We may reconstruction. From a broader diplo- the only way this tenuous balance can between cida, dnd, and dfait has seen warring armies simply doesn’t work in like to “go out every day and talk to need to rethink a wide spectrum of matic perspective, it has also served to be managed is through collaboration — some improvement. While the Prime countries like Somalia, the Democrat- people on the street . . . but we’re not tactics, from how we treat detainees to fulfill our commitment to nato and the cornerstone of 3D peace building. Minister’s Office and dnd continue to ic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Si- there yet and we’re not going to be the nature of our military engagement. provide an opportunity to repair rela- If a particular military strategy has drive much of our Afghanistan policy, erra Leone, and Afghanistan, where there in the foreseeable future.” If Bu- Air strikes, for example, can be an ef- tions with the United States, strained humanitarian implications, all rele- the three Ds are more sensitive to each fighting over territory is often only chan and other diplomats are unable fective means of fighting the Taliban in by our refusals to commit troops to the vant stakeholders need to be aware other’s actions than ever before. How- one part of a loosely defined and high- to do their jobs, and if development hostile terrain with limited risk to our Iraq war and participate in ballistic mis- of them from the outset. This requires ever, more integration is necessary. Ste- ly complex struggle between organized workers are similarly constrained, how soldiers, but they also increase the like- sile defence. Serving multiple interests a level of public communication that phen Harper recently appointed an crime rings, warlords, and, increasing- can Canada claim to be implement- lihood that innocent civilians will be is justifiable, even desirable. The real doesn’t currently exist. dnd, cida, and associate deputy minister within dfait ly, insurgents. In such cases, poverty ing 3D? killed, turning local populations against problem is that while 3D calls for the dfait have different mandates, operat- to facilitate coordination, but it remains and instability lead to a vicious cycle This question is behind much of the Canadian troops. integration of defence, diplomacy, and ing procedures, and cultures, as well as to be seen if the position, which lacks the of underdevelopment and violence. criticism of our mission in Afghani- The riots that have repeatedly bro- development, it does not lay out how different perspectives on Canada’s in- authority exercised by the Prime Min- It takes more than soldiers to address stan. Analysts have noted that funding ken out across the country protesting they should be integrated. ternational policy and their respective ister’s Office or the Privy Council Of- the problem. has been heavily weighted to- accidental deaths have borne this out. roles. As an old adage about the UN fice, will have any real influence over the Recognizing this, Canada ward the military, at both the As Brigadier Richard Nugee, the chief he relationship between war and de- reminds us, everybody is in favour powerfully independent and resource- has shifted to a robust form of national and international spokesperson for the UN-authorized, Tvelopment in Afghanistan is some- of coordination, but no one likes to rich cida and dnd. peace-building that brings de- levels. According to a 2006 re- nato-led International Security Assist­ thing of a Catch-22. Many argue that be coordinated. The United Kingdom, an early adopt- fence into closer contact with port by the Senlis Council, the ance Force (isaf) has said, “The single er of 3D, has gone a step further by tying diplomatic and development total defence expenditure for thing that we have done wrong and we funding to collaboration. Instead of ask- activities. Paul Martin intro- all parties in Afghanistan has are striving extremely hard to improve ing their development, defence, and duced this approach first in outpaced development fund- on is killing innocent civilians.” Is this diplomatic ministries to work together, speeches, then in his 2005 internation- ing more than tenfold, and the ratio a fair appraisal of the costs, though? Put Britain has made funding conditional on al policy statement, under the name is similar for Canadian spending, al- another way: if we knew terrorists were it through a joint-funding model called “3D.” The Conservative government though exact figures are hard to come meeting at a home in Vancouver, Toron- “conflict prevention pools.” Staffed by has since replaced this with the term by. On these grounds, it is difficult to to, or Montreal, would we authorize air officials from across the bureaucracy, “whole-of-government,” but the under- dispute former foreign affairs minister strikes? Within a 3D approach, the cal- the pools bid alongside parent depart- lying philosophy remains the same. The Lloyd Axworthy’s claim that the mis- culus for acceptable human casualties ments for resources. This brings pol- Department of National Defence (dnd), sion “has become one big ‘D.’ ” must be re-evaluated. icy analysts together permanently and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Non-governmental organizations John Watson, president of care Can- establishes incentives for truly collab- Canada (dfait), and the Canadian Inter- have also been vocal in their disap- ada, a leading international relief and orative decision making. This may not national Development Agency (cida) proval of military encroachment into development organization, believes be the right solution for Canada, but must now work together to execute a the field of humanitarian assistance. For we’re not appropriately balancing mili- something similar may prove necessary common strategy. example, plainclothed US special forces tary benefits against the wider costs. He if the departments continue to compete Reconciling military, diplomatic, have been known to use the kind of places some of the blame on the mili- for influence and retain vestiges of their and humanitarian objectives may be a white trucks that are ubiquitous in the tary itself, which, he argues, is slow- traditional roles. more effective way of stabilizing failed development community. There was ly co-opting development assistance Of course, if 3D rests on the assump­ and fragile states, but it also creates in- also the US administration’s decision under the rubric of defence. He points tion that only a comprehensive approach evitable trade-offs and requires a high to drop food-ration packages roughly out that many of the concepts now to the problems plaguing Afghanistan degree of collaboration. 3D is simply the same size and colour of unexplod- associated with 3D peace-building — will be successful, then our partners easier on paper than it is in practice. ed cluster bombs from military planes. such as civil-military cooperation, prov- must also coordinate. But we are oper- The confusion over the role of humani- incial reconstruction teams, and “three- ating as part of a thirty-seven-member hen diplomat Glyn Berry, whose tarian workers that resulted from these block war” — originated in military coalition, isaf, in which national con- W job was to facilitate relationships and similar incidents severely jeopard­ discourse, prescribe a lead role for the tingents often have different mandates, between a wide range of Afghan groups, ized their security. On June 2, 2004, five military, and value development and priorities, and tactics. In September was killed by a suicide bomber in Kan­ Médecins Sans Frontières workers were diplomacy only insofar as they are use- “You Belong to Me” – Jo Stafford (1952) 2006, for example, the UK negotiat-

46 illustration: balint zsako illustration: marco cibola 47 the walrus july/augus t 2007 ed a deal in the Musa Qala district funding for military-led development reconstruction. This raises perhaps the of Helmand province whereby tribal projects, and the establishment of a most important question about Can­ leaders would take control of the area corruption reduction strategy, simply adian involvement in Afghanistan: how if both Taliban and British forces with- do not match the scale of the problems do we explain our inability to live up to drew. The United States viewed the they are meant to address. the political rhetoric surrounding 3D compromise as a surrender, and when If we are serious about staying, we peace-building? the Taliban overran Musa Qala in Feb- need widespread public engagement. It may be that 3D is not what it seems, ruary 2007, isaf, under US leadership, Behind facile debates about supporting that the mission we’re being sold ob- authorized air strikes rather than re­ the troops lie crucial questions. How scures less palatable objectives. The negotiating the deal. exactly do we define success? What are incentive to dress hard military object­ Big Paw Debates over relative contributions our ultimate goals and objectives? What ives in soft humanitarian clothing has by Priscila Uppal and rules of engagement have also been is our strategy for achieving them? been present from the start, regardless fierce. The US, having initially secured Finding answers has been difficult part- of the party in charge. Protecting the the country with Operation Enduring ly because information has been so country from future terrorist attacks is The cat’s paw keeps getting bigger. Freedom, refocused most of its resour­ hard to come by. All public communi- certainly as important as projecting hu- Soon we will have to give it a name. ces and troops to Iraq before it could cation from the departments operating manitarian values, but there is no hon- contribute to the rebuilding process. in Afghanistan (even from senior civil our or integrity in mistaking one for At the vet, the young receptionists all laugh. Had the US stayed, Afghanistan would servants) must now be cleared by the the other. Tell us it’s perfectly natural likely be more stable, and non-military Prime Minister’s Office. It’s also possible that the strategy it- though they haven’t seen personnel like Gavin Buchan would be In November 2006, the Conservative self is flawed. Perhaps the civil service a single case like it. in a better position to do their jobs. government spent a reported $76,000 and isaf are currently incapable of the on focus groups to evaluate its com- type of collaboration 3D requires. And We purchase pills, wrestle vitamins, e have a long way to go in Afghan- munications strategy on Afghanistan. even if the political will is there, the re- work cream after cream Wistan. A recent Canadian Senate The results suggested that justifying the sources may be lacking. Peace-building into red skin. report pointed out that medieval societ- mission as a response to terrorism and experiences in Africa and the Balkans ies change slowly, corruption is endem- through appeals to freedom invoked, suggest that the overall international The paw gets ic, and the Taliban has the home-court unfavourably, President Bush’s stance contribution to Afghanistan remains bigger. advantage. Unfortunately, the Senate’s on the war in Iraq and that the preferred substantially below the levels of mili- recommendations, which included ad- language would emphasize progress, tary and economic support usually ne­ Our house gets smaller. ditional military training, direct cida development, and our commitment to cessary to rebuild a state. Our talk of 3D Tiny as a toothpick peace-building may ultimately be too in a club sandwich. ambitious for the circumstances. How- ever, this conclusion suggests an un- We can’t keep anything comfortable set of alternatives: either safe. Last night, the paw swiped we aren’t truly committed to Afghani- our memories clean. stan, or such nation-building projects are beyond our capacity. Tomorrow, it threatens But if the principles of 3D are sound, to x-ray the sky. and the challenges are part and parcel of implementing a new approach, then actually putting the strategy into action should make a marked difference. In this case, 3D offers Canada a unique opportunity to once again demonstrate international leadership on issues of peace and security. One conclusion is absolutely clear: lives, resources, and opportunities are at stake, and only after we have defined exactly what we intend to accomplish in Afghanistan will we be able to assess the prospects for success and justify the necessary sacrifices.W — To listen to a podcast on Canadian foreign policy by Jennifer Welsh, professor of inter- “No One’s Gonna Love You” national affairs at the University of Oxford, – Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators (2005) please visit walrusmagazine.com/more.

48 illustration: balint zsako 49