Doing the right thing in Afghanistan By Leslie Campbell Published September 16, 2009

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WASHINGTON—As if health reform, the financial crisis and a flu pandemic weren't enough to occupy President Obama, the flawed Afghanistan election brought concerns about progress there to prominence just in time to coincide with the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

All 9/11 ceremonies are sombre affairs and not what a foreigner might describe as "typically American." Remembrance services are restrained, patriotism is expressed quietly and sorrow rather than swagger is the dominant theme.

To understand the United States in the early 21^st century, one has to understand 9/11 and how everyone—even the Canadians living in New York and Washington—was affected.

Driving to my office that morning eight years ago, I crossed a bridge over southeast Washington's Anacostia River that gives way to a clear vista of the Reagan National Airport and the neighboring Pentagon. Riveted to the radio reports of airliners hitting New York's twin towers, I glanced distractedly at the large plume of smoke rising from what appeared to be the Pentagon, but I didn't make the connection to the incredible news out of New York.

A few minutes later, nearing my office and the White House, the first reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon filtered through and the atmosphere had turned eerie—emergency vehicles speeding to and fro, anxious pedestrians scampering into buildings, police cars blocking streets.

Colleagues were huddled around TVs and most left the office immediately—worried about further attacks but mostly just anxious to connect with family. Employees working in the Canadian Embassy had greater reason for worry. Located a few hundred yards from the Capitol Building, many wondered if another plane would hit the highest profile building in Washington and cause collateral damage to the embassy.

To its credit, Canada's embassy in Washington has sponsored 9/11 remembrance events ever since and this year's was particularly powerful. Held in the embassy theatre, there were two showings of a 15-minute documentary entitled Running Toward Danger, produced by Ken Crawford of the Newseum, a popular attraction next door to the Canadian mission.

Chronicling the experiences of journalists covering Ground Zero that day, the producer and several 9/11 eyewitnesses shared their stories with an audience that included American and Canadian military officials, embassy employees and others.

What was striking about the event was the respectful silence in the room full of Canadians and Americans. The audience quietly allowed panelists to regain composure and the whole group seemed to share a palpable sense of collective grief.

The embassy has another event scheduled for Sept. 23 which has caused some internal controversy. Described by a Canadian military officer as a way of dramatizing Canada's engagement in Afghanistan, the plan was to stage a re-enactment of a Taliban attack on NATO forces in a model of an Afghan village erected in the embassy courtyard. Part of a conference on Canada's role in Afghanistan, the mock attack was to feature pyrotechnics and actors with elaborate fake wounds.

While certainly an example of creative thinking on behalf of the Canadian military liaisons posted in Washington, some inside the Canadian mission, as well as concerned outsiders, questioned the wisdom of such an event so close to the 9/11 anniversary. Explosions and guns—even fake—near the Capitol Building could be mistaken for the real thing by passersby, much like the low-level Air Force One fly-over in New York caused consternation in April.

Defence Minister Peter McKay reportedly put the kibosh on the pyrotechnics—probably a prudent decision—but the idea of staging something showy about Canada's role in Afghanistan is a sound one. Canada's commitment to Afghanistan is largely unknown outside American military circles and even then, few are aware of the extent of Canada's sacrifices especially when our country's relative size is taken into account.

Opposition to the war in Afghanistan is growing among the ranks of liberal Democrats in Congress and within some policy circles where analysts question the impact of American interventions. Nevertheless, for most mainstream Democrats, the majority of Republicans and certainly for President Obama, Afghanistan is and will continue to be a priority. There is absolutely no way that Democrats, worried about their vulnerability on security related issues, are going to give up on the war directly related to Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 conspiracy. Despite rumbles to the contrary, the US will stay the course in Afghanistan, investing more in civilian rebuilding and asking more of allies, especially the Europeans.

For Canada, showing solidarity with the 9/11 victims meant joining the effort in Afghanistan—and rightly so. Unlike Iraq, where the 9/11 pretext was false, there is no question that Taliban leaders aided and encouraged al-Qaeda and would do so again.

The Afghanistan conflict resists easy fixes and promises to remain problematic for years to come. Improving the country's infrastructure and inadequate government will vex development professionals for many more years, but just because it's difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

There are two overwhelming reasons to stay in Afghanistan: insecurity in that country has before, and will again, spill over to affect our lives and security; and Afghanistan's people, like people everywhere, deserve a chance to pursue better lives, free of repression and where they have some say in the decisions that affect them.

In doing our part, Canada is not only doing the right thing in Afghanistan, but we're properly honoring the memory of 9/11—something that won't soon be forgotten by our American neighbours and friends.

editor@embassymag.ca