Doing the dirty work well

The country is settling in for a federal general election, while our forces face a potential, more deadly fight in far away Afghanistan.

Many of the regular force personnel inside and outside the wire in the Kandahar sector in Afghanistan come from Nova Scotia. As well, in this particular rotation, troops from the West Novas and other Nova Scotia reserve units are in country.

The NATO forces are expecting an upturn in incidents as the weather heats up for summer. The company-sized pitched battles in which the terrorists allowed themselves to take part last year aren't expected this year - they now know they just can't win against NATO firepower and professionalism. So, they are bound to come up with something else.

That's what could be troublesome.

It appears, though polls are fewer than they have been in the past, Canadians are accepting the mission and the necessity of the troops' efforts there. We haven't been treated to any more hand-wringing politicians charging NATO is wantonly bombing civilians. As the development aspect comes into its own, people are more informed about what is being done, as well as what has to be done.

Top Canadian officials have been paying a lot of attention to Afghanistan of late. Foreign Minister Peter MacKay and Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor have been around, and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, Treasury Board president Vic Toews and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Secretary of State Helen Guergis were by last week to see about various aspects of development in the triple-D scenario: development, diplomacy and defense. Governor General Michaele Jean visited with the troops and Afghan top officials, making it clear to the women of that country that their international sisters aren't going to ignore them anymore. I bet that sent some chills up and down some backs there.

It puts us all in a position to deliver.

Let's not pretend it's all about sending little Afghan girls to school and setting the women folk free, or freer. The Second World War wasn't about the Holocaust, and the American Civil War wasn't about slavery. Those situations were, however, major symptoms that helped cause those respective conflicts. So it is with gender and social situations in Afghanistan. Nothing can move ahead without the defense aspect. Period.

Some naïve folk might say it's someone else's war - it's not our way.

The hell it isn't.

NATO is involved to provide international security in that region, and our world in general. As for the Canadian way, look at Vimy, and a dozen such moments in our recent history. Canadians don't walk away from the dirty work.

Word is the Dutch troops in Afghanistan like working with the Canadians; something that is implied not to be true of everyone with whom they could be working. Ahem.

Canadians are said to be especially well suited to working with various Afghan agencies. Our people and programs - military and civil - are more methodical and practical than those of others.

So the question is, if not us, who?