The Torch: "Why We're Over There"

Excerpt from an excellent post by Brian Platt at his The Canada-Afghanistan Blog--read the whole thing:

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Recently I was at a talk at the Fraser Institute with Brigadier-General Denis Thompson [commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan until this February, videos of interviews with him since his return available here]. One of the only pompous, smart-ass questions asked that day came from a smirky guy with a British accent. He said "don't tell me we're there for nation-building, because then why aren't we in Zimbabwe?"

Thompson clearly (and understandably) bristled at this question, responding sharply that we have to choose our fights; just because we can't be everywhere all of the time doesn't mean we can't be somewhere some of the time.

The way I respond to the cynics, who smirk like the British guy did when we speak of the importance of nation-building and human rights, is to give a very frank and direct answer: the reason why we're in Afghanistan is because of September 11. Full stop. If it wasn't for September 11, we wouldn't be there. Of course we wouldn't be.

The direct reason our soldiers are in Afghanistan is not women's rights, but because a religious death cult based in that country and supported by its government murdered thousands of civilians in New York and Washington eight years ago.

BUT...the Canadian response to that attack has been guided by the principles of nation-building and women's rights, make no mistake about it. We are there because of September 11, but we understand that the only responsible and respectable policy is to build up a legitimate democracy that respects the basic rights of its citizens.

This is why I've always argued that Afghanistan is both a left-wing and right-wing war: it's in the security interests of our country and in the humanitarian interests of Afghans. It's both things at the same time, and there is no internal contradiction...