Canada in Afghanistan Presentation by Derakhshan QurbanAli Defence Diplomacy and Development to Danger Distrust and Disaffection A review of lessons learned from Canadas war in Afghanistan and its effect on Canadian ID: 159294
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Slide1
2001-2014: Lessons Learned
Canada in Afghanistan
Presentation by: Derakhshan Qurban-AliSlide2
“
Defence, Diplomacy, and Development” to “Danger, Distrust and Disaffection”A review of lessons learned from Canada’s war in Afghanistan and its effect on Canadian defence policy from 2001-2014.”Slide3Slide4
Soviet War in Afghanistan 1979-1989Slide5
Civil War in Afghanistan 1992-1995Slide6
Taliban Rule in Afghanistan 1996-2001Slide7
9/11 and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001Slide8
Canada in Afghanistan 2001-2014
158 Canadian soldiers killed2000 wounded$18 billion spent
Canada needs
to ask: what lessons can be learned from this engagement? Slide9
Questions
What were the structural constraints Canada faced going into the mission?What were the mistakes Canada made through the course of the Afghan mission?
What should Canada learn from this?Slide10
OUR MISSION
BEFORE MANLEY: "It was crystal clear from the start that there was no strategy for the mission...no clear articulation of what they wanted to achieve, no political guidance and few forces
. It was abysmal
.”
Our
reasons justifying Canada’s engagement in Kandahar:
to
take part in “an international response to the threat to peace and security inherent in al Qaeda’s terrorist attacks;
”
to
support the United Nations;
to
support NATO;
and
to promote and protect “human security in fragile states.”
Slide11
The Manley Report 2008
Canada's engagement has been guided by clear Canadian priorities with two main objectives: (Manley 53)1. Providing the necessary security to allow development to take place in southern Afghanistan; and2. Supporting the Afghanistan government in establishing good governance and in building a better life for its citizens.Slide12
Taliban Controlled AreasSlide13
The Civilian-Military Divide
"Civilians can never trust the military leadership, not because they are not trustworthy, but because they have a fundamentally different world view.” Janice Stein and Eugene Lang,
The
Unexpected
War: 9Slide14
Canada Peacekeeping MythSlide15
“STEPPING ON A LANDMINE”: WAS COUNTER-INSURGENCY IN KANDAHAR A MISTAKE? Slide16
Bamiyan: A Better Option?Slide17
Afghanistan Ethnic DemographicsSlide18
Regional SecuritySlide19
Pashtuns and PakistanSlide20
Pakistan’s support for the Taliban
“No guerrilla movement that has had a set of sanctuaries — let alone the active help of a powerful military like Pakistan’s — has ever been eliminated” Fareed Zakaria, CNN Analyst (2012)Slide21
Who Are the Taliban?Slide22
Addressing GrievancesWhy are locals joining the Taliban?
ANP (Afghan National Police) AbusesCorruptionPoppy Crop EradicationAir Strikes80000 internally displaced people as a result of NATO air strikesPovertySlide23
Taliban, Afghan Government, or Al-Qaeda member?
Wahabi IslamistWas the first one to invite Osama bin Laden to take refuge in Afghanistan following his 1996 expulsion from SudanDuring the Afghan civil war, financed by Saudi Arabia to mobilize Arab volunteers for the Mujahedin forcesClose relationship with militant groups such as Al-QaedaAccused of knowingly assisting suicide bombers to assassinate Northern Alliance leader, Ahmad Shah
Massoud
Established a terrorist training camp in Pakistan used by Al Qaeda and other Islamic militant groups
His forces slaughtered, burned, and raped their way through a Shi’ite
neighbourhood
in Kabul during the Civil War
Oppressor of womenSlide24
Government Official! Abdul
Rasul SayyafAs of 2007, Sayyaf is an influential member of Parliament
Calls for amnesty for former
mujahideen
Candidate for the 2014 Presidential elections
Came in fourth place
Received 7% of vote
Won Kandahar province as part of the
Islamic
Dawah
Organization of AfghanistanSlide25
Taliban, Afghan Government, or Al-Qaeda member?
Controls a militia of several thousand menControls drug-smuggling routes Participated in civilian massacresKnown for torturing prisonersWidespread human rights abusesWidely fearedEtc…Slide26
Government Official and Canadian ally!
General Abdul RaziqProvincial Police Chief in Kandahar
US and NATO ally
Frequent partner of Canadian Forces in Kandahar in fight against the TalibanSlide27
UNSAVORY ALLIES: “THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND”
The Manley Panel made a clear distinction between the Canadian forces and the combatants they were fighting: “Afghanistan is at war, and Canadians are combatants. It is a war fought between an elected, democratic government and a zealous insurgency of proven brutality.” Reality is not as black and whiteSlide28
NATO Strategy and Losing “Hearts and Minds”Slide29
A War on Three Fronts
War on PovertyWar on TerrorWar on DrugsCanada and NATO can not win these wars through arms and military forceA diplomatic and political solution is the only viable and sustainable solution that takes into account everyone’s grievances and includes everyone at the negotiating tableSlide30
Shortcomings & Lessons to Learn
1. Lost legitimacy and lacked the ability to distinguish ourselves from the forces we were fighting
By supporting corrupt warlords
Detainee crisis
Support of a corrupt government regime
Losing popular support (burning poppy crops & air raids)
2. Not understanding the cultural and historical legacy of Afghanistan before engaging in
Kandahar;
both domestic and
international factors
Trusting
Pakistan
Not understanding the tribal, ethnic, and historical tensions in AfghanistanSlide31
Brief Conclusions
In order to successfully execute nation-building and counter-insurgency efforts in a country like Afghanistan, Canada needs to address the civilian-military divideleverage
its unique diplomatic
capabilities
develop
a greater understanding of the geopolitical, historical, and ethnic factors involved in a given regional security complex, and
consistently
uphold the tenets of Canada’s human rights standards in military conduct abroad.
Slide32
Something to reflect upon…
“Sitting on straw mats in the mud structure that serves as a guesthouse, drinking green chai made from goat's milk, the village elders ask the Western visitor if the West will stay this time. Swatting flies away, the Western visitor insists that he and the other Westerners are here for the "long haul." The elders exchange knowing looks; they have heard this before and were abandoned. The international community needs to provide the Afghans the opportunity to prove the promise.”Slide33