NATO off course (in Afghanistan), report concludes

[Doondoo]

A former Canadian ambassador to NATO says the war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily and it will require negotiation with the Taliban to bring an end to the conflict.

Gordon Smith, who was Canada's NATO ambassador between 1985 and 1990, and a team of experts from across Canada will release a report tomorrow that says the current NATO policies are not on course to achieve the objectives of peace and stability in the country, "even within a period of 10 years."

"One of the experts that we asked about how many troops would be needed for a military victory said, 'Oh, maybe half a million.' So adding a couple of thousand is wonderful but it doesn't do anything."

The real objective of the NATO force is to prevent a resurgence of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist organization -- a group that has moved to other areas of the world and is remobilizing in Pakistan, Dr. Smith said.

In his report, entitled Canada in Afghanistan: Is it Working?, he says that "the most essential goal is to isolate Al Qaeda from the mainstream Taliban and to find incentives to dissuade the Taliban from a commitment to international jihadi violence."

That may not be easy because of the close relationship between the two groups at the top levels, says the report, but it could be accomplished over time. And "while negotiations certainly cannot guarantee that the Taliban will be brought into the political process, failure to negotiate will almost surely cede the field to them."


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