The Torch: The prime minister, Afstan, and counterinsurgency

An excellent piece by Major-General (ret'd) Terry Liston, formerly the head of plans and operations for the CF:

Harper spoke the truth

As the bodies of three more Canadian soldiers arrive back home, Prime Minister Harper's statement on CNN that the Taliban in Afghanistan cannot be defeated have generated outrage among Canadians of all political stripes. By contrast, Canadian soldiers patrolling the Pashtun grape fields and compounds may for the first time be sensing that their government finally understands the situation in Afghanistan.

Their war is not combat against a conventional army. They know that they cannot chase down and kill every Pashtun Taliban rebel in the country, which is larger than Manitoba. And there are even more in Pakistan. They know that for every Pashtun that is killed by NATO forces, another 10 young men are sent from his tribe to avenge him.

Western armies have recently agreed on how to overcome an insurgency. The consensus is based in large part on the British success in Ireland and Malaya, and the lessons drawn by the French and U. S. from their failures in North Africa and Vietnam, respectively. It has been validated by the rapid turn-around of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq under U. S. General David Petraeus.

The British experience in Northern Ireland is revealing. During 38 years of "troubles," the British army never defeated the IRA. Its closing report on the campaign emphasized that "the Army did not 'win' in any recognizable way; rather ... it allowed a political process to be established without unacceptable levels of intimidation." When the military campaign ended in 2007, a political solution had been reached. Both sides had concluded that fighting, alone, could not deliver the crushing victory they wanted and the world consequently saw the previously unimaginable spectacle of the Reverend Ian Paisley shaking hands with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.

The recently published U. S. Army and Marine Corps counterinsurgency field manual (FM3-24) [full text here] similarly emphasizes that the top priority is not the destruction of the enemy. Rather, "securing the civilian" is the most important part of the Army's mission. The manual emphasizes the critical role of politics and politicians at all levels, noting that "political leadership may ultimately deliver a negotiated solution to aspects of the conflict or to the insurgency itself." In addition, nation-building activity, carried out by civilian agencies, is identified as a key priority.

General Petraeus, author of the U. S. manual, victor in Iraq [well, so far--latest here] and now commander of all U. S. forces in the Middle East (including Central Asia), spoke to the Munich Conference on Security Policy on Feb. 8. He told world leaders and diplomats that there is no purely military solution in Afghanistan. True, he called for a short-term surge of forces to stop the current downward spiral of instability, but he did not talk of winning the war, nor of victory over the Taliban. Consistent with his counterinsurgency doctrine, he said: "Together with our Afghan partners, we have to work to provide the people security, to give them respect, to gain their support and to facilitate the provision of basic services."

He re-emphasized the fundamental principles of counterinsurgency doctrine: "clearing communities of Taliban and other extremist groups, working with Afghan security forces to prevent militants from returning, extending humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance to local residents and helping Afghans build effective institutions capable of assuming full responsibility for security and governance." He also said that NATO forces must recommit to supporting the Afghan government in political reconciliation.

Mr. Harper's statements on CNN are consistent with this counterinsurgency approach. They reflect for the first time an honest statement of the military challenge facing our brave young soldiers in Afghanistan. He might have emphasized that the "end-state" for which 111 of our finest young men and women have died also requires intense nation-building and energetic diplomacy to achieve reconciliation within Afghanistan as well as with its neighbours. But, it's an encouraging start...

As for "political reconciliation", the new American president is also looking beyond "winning" militarily:

Obama Ponders Outreach to Elements of the Taliban

One wonders when the prime minister will get credit from our journalists and opposition parties for thinking broadly, like the president. Just kidding.

By the way, the CF have just released their own counterinsurgency manual--to the usual misleading media coverage (more here).

Update: President Karzai agrees with President Obama: