"Surging in Afghanistan?"

Media round-up from the Conference of Defence Associations:

In this week’s media briefing, the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) would like to draw your attention to media coverage in the areas of:

- Canadian defence policy
- Canada in Afghanistan
- An Afghanistan surge?
- Afghanistan and Pakistan
- NATO at 60
- Recommended reading

The CDA would like to remind its readers of the CDA Institute’s 25th annual seminar and CDA 72nd annual general meeting that will be held on 26-27 February 2009 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa. Registration is now open, and all are welcome. More information can be found at:
http://www.cda-cdai.ca/defenceseminars.htm

Canadian defence policy

Patrick Lennox and Aaron Plamondon for the National Post write on the importance of a strong and deployable Canadian navy. The CDA recommends to its readers a paper by Ken Bowering on the subject of Canadian naval procurement, linked below.
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=1154475
http://www.cda-cdai.ca/Currie_Papers/Currie%20Paper%201-08%20Navy%20League.pdf

Justin Massie for Le Devoir explores the relationship between Quebec and Canadian defence and security.
http://www.ledevoir.com/2008/12/30/225241.html

Peter Singer for the Globe and Mail examines Canada’s readiness to face a bioterrorism threat.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090104.ecosinger05/BNSto...

Canada in Afghanistan

Darah Hansen for Canwest reports on the efforts of the Canadian International Development Agency to provide security and aid to women in Kandahar.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Afghan+women+chart+perilous+course+university/11...

Paul Wells in Macleans writes on his recent trip to Afghanistan and his impression of the Canadian and international effort there.
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/12/18/the-growing-storm/

Bernard Descôteaux for Le Devoir writes that Canada must make plans for its any post-2011 mission in Afghanistan, especially given the pressure that will come from an Obama administration to maintain a commitment to Afghanistan: “Un nouveau débat sur le rôle du Canada en Afghanistan étant inévitable, le gouvernement canadien doit pouvoir être en mesure de définir le rôle qu'il entend jouer dans cette partie du monde une fois ses troupes retirées.”
http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/01/08/226231.html

Jane Armstrong for the Globe and Mail reports on the activities of Tooryalai Wesa, Kandahar province’s new governor.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090106.wafghan06/BNStory...

A recent AngusReid poll dated 3 January 2009 polls Canadians on their views regarding the mission in Afghanistan.
http://www.angus-reid.com/uppdf/2009.01.03_Afghan.pdf

Michael Den Tandt for the Winnipeg Sun and Scott Taylor for the Chronicle Herald comment on the case of Captain Robert Semrau.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/comment/columnists/michael_dentandt/2009/01/09/796...
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1099094.html

An Afghanistan Surge?

Foreign Policy carries an article by Nathaniel Fick and John Nagl on counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, as well as an interview on the subject with General David Petraeus, commander of CENTCOM.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4587

Michael O’Hanlon for USA Today examines counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, in light of the surge of American troops there. Syed Saleem Shahzad examines the prospects for using friendly tribes in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/01/playing-for-kee.html
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.2880040405

Bob Herbert for the New York Times writes that US President-elect Barack Obama must clearly justify the increasing American commitment to its Afghanistan mission.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06herbert.html

Andrew Bacevich for Newsweek writes that instead of pouring more resources into Afghanistan, the US should aim for decentralization and outsourcing, “offering cash and other emoluments to local leaders who will collaborate with us in keeping terrorists out of their territory.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/171254

The US Armed Forces Journal has released an entire issue devoted to Afghanistan, available at the link below [emphasis added].
http://armedforcesjournal.com/2008/11/3738650

Afghanistan and Pakistan

Thom Shanker for the New York Times reports on the opening and expansion of NATO and US supply routes into Afghanistan through Central Asia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/world/asia/31military.html

Myra MacDonald for Reuters examines the possibility of Russian cooperation with the United States regarding supply routes into Afghanistan, in the context of larger US-Russia geopolitical relations.
http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2009/01/06/what-price-russian-cooperation-o...

Thomas Harding for the Telegraph writes that the British government and public should be prepared for a long-term effort in Afghanistan. Irwin Stelzer for the Telegraph writes that Anglo-American relations under President Obama will be imperiled when Britain refuses to reinforce its Afghan mission.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/4077401/Britain-should-be-prepared-...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4031162/Britains-refusal-to-...

An article in the Telegraph describes a battle fought by British troops in Helmand province in December.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4107259/Afghanista...

Mark Thompson for Time magazine writes on the challenge posed by Bagram prison in Afghanistan to President-elect Barack Obama.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1869519,00.html

Dexter Filkins for the New York Times and Sarah Chayes for the Washington Post write on the corruption that is rife in Afghan society and government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/world/asia/02kabul.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR20081212032...

Jason Straziuso and Amir Shah for the Associated Press report on growing Taliban presence in areas near Kabul.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/6192128.html

Ahmed Rashid for the Wall Street Journal examines tensions between India and Pakistan and how they relate to the conflict in Afghanistan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123091459703649349.html

Matthew Fisher for the National Post and Damian Grammaticas for BBC report on the activities of the Taliban in Pakistan.
http://www.nationalpost.com/story-printer.html?id=1121352
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7750542.stm

The BBC reports on the killing of Al Qaeda’s operations chief in Pakistan in a US missile strike.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7819305.stm

NATO at 60

James Jay Carafano in the Washington Times writes that NATO should pursue a new vision on its 60th anniversary, and plan to remain relevant and effective in dealing with emerging threats.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/08/natos-60th-calls-for-change/

Brooke Smith-Windsor in Defense News writes that members of NATO must focus on empowering the alliance to harness its collective strength and renew cross-Atlantic relationships.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3885992

Nick Witney for the Guardian writes that NATO is entering its twilight years and that the US should instead focus on invigorating US-EU relations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/08/nato-eu

Recommended reading

In memory of Samuel Huntington, who died on December 24, 2008, David Warren for the Ottawa Citizen, Fareed Zakaria for Newsweek and Fouad Ajami for the New York Times examine his early and later work, most notably his seminal ‘The Clash of Civilizations’. Huntington’s original 1993 Foreign Affairs article on that subject is linked below.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/kind+liberal/1149583/story.html
http://www.newsweek.com/id/177714/output/print
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/books/review/Ajami-t.html
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19930601faessay5188/samuel-p-huntington/the-cla...

Donna Miles for the American Forces Press Service reports on an updated unified command plan issued by US President George Bush last month.
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/newsarticle.aspx?id=52450

The Economist takes a look at the Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in light of the recent military actions in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12899483

The BBC examines European countries’ coping with the recent cut in Russian gas supplies through Ukraine. The Economist writes that Europe must reduce its dependence on Russian gas and develop alternate suppliers and routes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7815113.stm
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12899511

Marcel De Haas for the Daily Star-Lebanon writes on the potential economic and political power of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and how the West should react to it.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=9...

Rory Medcalf for The Age examines the possibilities raised for cooperation with China in light of the Chinese deployment of vessels to combat piracy off Somalia.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/no-more-naval-gazing-as-china-takes-to-the-s...