Whether Canadian troops stay or leave Afghanistan could largely depend on the
eloquence of U.S. President Barack Obama and his ability to rally western
nations, says former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier.
"I think he can shape the opinions
and thoughts of people," the former general said Saturday.
U.S. Senator John McCain, who
conceded his presidential ambitions were sunk by Obama's ability to deliver a
hopeful message, agreed and said it was imperative for the president to lay out
the way ahead.
He told the Halifax international
security forum there should be no talk of exit dates and exit strategies in
Afghanistan until the situation is turned around.
McCain said "success" in the war-torn
country is the way out of the conflict.
A clear, articulate vision is
essential if the war is to be rescued within the next 18 months and Obama is the
one to deliver it, Hillier said.
"I think that ability could influence
a lot of populations outside of the United States of America, including people
in Canada and western Europe," said Hillier, who retired from the top military
post last year.
He took a swipe at Ottawa's absence
from the public dialogue, beyond the country's self-imposed withdrawal date of
2011.
"In Canada all we ever hear about is
the soldiers who are killed and whose bodies are brought back to Canada;
secondly improvised explosive devices and thirdly corruption in government,"
Hillier said.
"There is much more to issue than
that and perhaps a guy like President Obama with his ability to speak and
communicate could help communicate it."
Hillier and McCain made their remarks
one day after Ottawa began to cement its 2011 withdrawal plans.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay said
he's been talking with other nations, including the U.S., about providing
security for Canadian diplomats and aid workers whose mission will continue
after the army comes home.
His American counterpart, Defence
Secretary Robert Gates, said planning for the Canadian army pull-out is well
underway.
McCain expressed disappointment at
the decision, but seemed loathe to be too critical and said the U.S. should be
"thanking" its allies more often, while encouraging them to do more.
Michael Semple, a Harvard expert on
Afghanistan, said that the absence of resolve shown by Western countries is
noticed in the region and the message needs to be sent that they're there for
the long-term.
Otherwise, he says, locals in both
Afghanistan and Pakistan will throw their lot in with the Taliban because they
want to be on the winning side.
Najam Sethi, a newspaper editor and
TV commentator in Pakistan, says the Pakistani military believes the U.S. is
"dithering" over implementing a strategy and the coming troops surge is likely
too little, too late.
Gates hinted that a decision on
sending as many as 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan is days away.
It could come by Thursday, U.S.
officials hinted.
McCain predicted more casualties and
more strain on western governments during the surge.
Semple argued that any troop surge
must be accompanied by a determined peace initiative.
He even suggested that fugitive
Taliban leader Mullah Omar be given another opportunity to renounce Al-Qaeda.
Hillier scoffed at that the notion.
"I don't believe in talking to the
Taliban as a structured organization because fundamentally I cannot comprehend
what we would discuss," he said.
"Would we hand over the women so they
could beat them and brutalize them on a periodic basis? Would we hand over a
part of the country so they could run it that way?"
He said you need to talk to
individuals and convince them to rejoin Afghan society.