Afstan post-2011: Some sense in the Toronto Star

Further to this post,

Afstan: Let's hope Lew MacKenzie is right

from an editorial August 16:

Canada's future in Afghanistan
...
Our $2 billion aid program can be channelled not only to Kandahar, but elsewhere, to support education programs, health care, food crops and other good works. It can be refined and expanded. We can work with Afghan officials to improve governance and to check corruption. And we must help neighbouring Pakistan bring development and schools to its impoverished border, to counter Taliban recruitment.

Subject to Parliament's approval, Canadian troops and police might still play a useful role mentoring their Afghan counterparts, with a view to working themselves out of a job. We can protect aid projects. And perhaps provide transport aircraft and helicopters, as well as surveillance drones [emphasis added...from little acorns], to assist our allies...

See also these posts:

Post-2011 CF training role at Kandahar?

"THE Afghan burden"/Keep on runnin'