Second verse, same as the first...

One of the issues in the Afghan conflict that just doesn't seem to go away is the tension between the military and NGO roles in aid and development work. That's probably because western militaries are relearning the age-old lessons of counterinsurgency work (improve the lives of the locals, and they'll be less likely to support the insurgents), and because it's a complicated enough situation that there are no easy solutions.

I've weighed in on this topic before, and I have yet to hear or read anything that has changed my views on the issue. But I'm still open to discussion, if anyone wants to make a decent argument for the civilianization of development, aid, and reconstruction in Afghanistan specifically, and failed states in general.

The latest foray into this area of discussion comes from an interview of Fatima Gailani, president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, in Maclean's magazine by the inestimable Paul Wells. Ms. Gailani's remarks are measured and balanced, but the headline-writer seems to have latched on to one particular quote:

The humanitarian work should be left to the people who have always been doing the humanitarian job. You must not mix up things and change roles. That confuses people.

I won't bother providing a rebuttal of my own, since a couple of Canadian NCM's have already done a better job of it than I could:

Female soldiers are finding an unwritten - but not unwanted - responsibility waiting for them in Afghanistan.

In many rural villages in Kandahar province, the only females who can meet local women wear the Canadian flag on their uniform. Large areas are too dangerous for anyone but a soldier to walk into.

***

"I didn't come here looking for this," said Master Cpl. Sheri Lynn Andrews. "I suppose my views were naive, I was coming to help Afghanistan as a whole. We're not a group of bra-burning woman activists, that's not why we're here. But the security situation is not conducive to civilians walking around. There's just nobody else."

Sgt. Connie Uetz accepts the same position.

"These women have to be helped and if we're the only ones who can do it, then that's just the way it is," Uetz said. [Babbler's emphasis]

And since we throw enough darts at the MSM around here, let me add a laurel where it's due: good on Ryan Cormier for writing this piece. It's important, and very few Canadians would know about it otherwise.

As I said, the safety of civilian workers is a serious concern, and blurred lines between civilian and military assistance can affect that safety. But what's the alternative? I have yet to hear a credible one.

Somebody needs to lead on this. And in the absence of enough civilian takers, that task falls to soldiers.