Canada should stay out of Afghanistan

Poor Donald Trump. First he confessed that fixing the American health system was one tough job. Now it’s what to do in Afghanistan. So he listened to his generals and thought about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, a war that is already the longest in U.S. history, with no end in sight. Then he announced that he’s decided to do pretty much the same as his predecessors keep fighting the Taliban, prop up the rickety Afghan government, and hope some kind of deal can be worked out down the road.

This is a formula for, if not failure, at least nonsuccess. The U.S. and its coalition partners have been on this weary road for 16 years and the result is not pretty. The Taliban controls almost half the country; Daesh (aka the “Islamic State”) is making inroads; Afghanistan’s government remains corrupt and unpopular; and suicide bombers are striking in the heart of Kabul.

So, about 4,000 will go to join the 8,400 American soldiers already there, and Trump repeated his insistence that Washington’s allies must commit more money and military support to the cause.

That puts pressure on Canada to re-up for service in Afghanistan, pressure the Trudeau government should politely but firmly resist.

When the subject first came up at a NATO meeting in June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turned aside Trump’s request by saying Canada remains focused on its modest but significant mission in Iraq, where it’s helping to defeat Daesh.

That’s the right answer. Aside from everything else, Canada has done its full share of the heavy lifting in Afghanistan. Our soldiers were there for 12 years; 158 lost their lives and hundreds more were injured. We’ve done our bit and more.

There’s suspicion in some circles that the government might be tempted to go back into Afghanistan, perhaps with just a small training team, in order to make nice with the Trump administration as trade talks with Washington enter their crunch phase. That would be a mistake. Canada is no beggar at the NAFTA negotiating table, and shouldn’t use our troops as a bargaining chip to make a deal. In any case, it wouldn’t work; trade issues have to be worked out on their own terms and too many other parties are involved the U.S. Congress, to name just one.

After 16 years of hard fighting in Afghanistan, with as many as 100,000 U.S. troops involved at one point, outright military victory is an illusion. No matter how heavy its losses the Taliban has shown it can endure and will come back stronger whenever the Afghan government and coalition troops pull back.

That leaves only the possibility of a negotiated political settlement with at least some elements of the Taliban. However difficult, the only scenario that holds long-term promise is a diplomatic effort involving such countries as Pakistan and even Russia to work out a political settlement among Afghanistan’s warring factions. It wouldn’t be a heroic outcome but bitter experience shows it’s the best that can be hoped for.

The alternative is war without end. Unfortunately, that appears to be the option Trump has chosen despite his insistence that he would be a different kind of president and take a different path.