Thursday, December 13, 2007

Afghanistan - We are so-o-o-o-o past 3-D

Embassy Mag : The term "three-D approach" is being replaced with "whole-of-government" to describe the mission in Afghanistan.
"Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, who commanded Canadian and multinational forces in southern Afghanistan last year says the government "is past three-D." [development, diplomacy and defence]

And no wonder. Perhaps you recall Brig.-Gen Fraser's Hearts and Minds Canadian Flak Tour back in January, in which he praised such Canadian reconstruction projects as "building roads", although these same projects were referred to in the NYT as :
"NATO troops bulldozed through orchards, smashed down walls and even houses, and churned vineyards and melon fields to dust. Reconstruction projects were planned, but never materialized. Now NATO countries are championing the thoroughfare as a $5 million gift to local people."

OK, so what did the 'development' and 'diplomacy' part of the now apparently passé 3-D consist of?
"Canada's aid agency will have 35 professional staff working in Afghanistan by April 2008, up from 10 in 2006. Five foreign affairs personnel, six from CIDA, 10 from the RCMP and two from Correctional Services Canada positions. DFAIT also has two foreign affairs officials at the Kandahar airfield."
???That's it???
By way of comparison, we have 2,500 military personnel making up the 'defence' part of 3-D.

The Brig,-Gen bafflegabs onwards :
"A lot of people use three-D, but it's bigger than that," he said. "I think it's illustrative of the evolution of a concept that's getting bigger, getting broader, that has more depth, that is getting more mature and is developing more effects for countries like Afghanistan. It just shows the evolution of doing more."

What the fuck is he on about here?

Thankfully the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan were rather more succinct in their International Human Rights Day speech on Monday :
"The US and her allies tried to legitimize their military occupation of Afghanistan under the banner of “bringing freedom and democracy for Afghan people”. But as we have experienced in the past hree decades, in regard to the fate of our people, the US government first of all considers her own political and economic interests and has empowered and equipped the most traitorous, anti-democratic, misogynist and corrupt fundamentalist gangs in Afghanistan.
The US doesn’t want to defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, because then they will have no excuse to stay in Afghanistan and work towards the realization of its economical, political and strategic interests in the region."
Thanks, RAWA - that's pretty much what we thought he meant.

6 comments:

ernie yacub said...

for a thorough analysis of "the realization of its economical, political and strategic interests in the region."

see shock doctrine - the recipe for disaster capitalism around the world.

for more on cida, see richard sanders excellent examination of cida in haiti.
http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/61/61-TOC.htm

"The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) helped overthrow the democratically-elected Haitian government of President Jean Bertrand Aristide in 2004. In the years prior to this regime change—led by the U.S., Canada and France—although Aristide and his Lavalas government were extremely popular among the country's poor citizens, CIDA drastically cut bilateral aid to Haiti. CIDA simultaneously poured millions of dollars into extremely partisan Haitian organizations that represented the selfish interests of Haiti's corporate elite. These groups helped destabilize Haiti's legitimate government and called for its overthrow. (The most prominent pro-coup recipients of CIDA largesse, were NCHR, G-184, PAPDA, CARLI, CONAP and ENFOFANM.)

Then, following the Canada-backed coup, CIDA and its proxy groups in Haiti backed the brutal dictatorship that oversaw the illegal imprisonment and mass murder of thousands of Haitians whose crime was simply to support the constitutional government that they had duly elected. CIDA also funded the illegal coup regime's "Justice" ministry. It was responsible for overseeing Haiti's police, prisons and courts, which led the witch hunt and persecution of pro-democracy advocates.

CIDA's phony "human groups" not only covered up the coup-installed regime's brutal atrocities, they also fabricated evidence to frame the leaders of Lavalas party. By kidnapping and exiling President Aristide, and by illegally imprisoning Prime Minister Neptune, various cabinet ministers, MPs, mayors and other key organizers and activists, the coup regime and its international backers made it impossible for Lavalas to compete in the rigged, CIDA-funded elections of 2007.

For more details on the Canadian government's role in the 2004 coup, see issue # 60 of Press for Conversion! (March 2007)."

as for building roads, all the better for moving the poppies and heroin, which is now being produced as a value-added product in factories in Afghanistan - see ex-ambassador craig murray article...
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6405

Alison said...

Thank you, Ernie.
Very behind on Haiti I'm afraid, and others, like Mostly Water, already do it so well.

As a fan of C.O.A.T. you will probably already be aware of this, but it is particularly galling that this crap is funded by our own money as invested by the Canadian Pension Plan.

matttbastard said...

We really are shouldering the burden, eh? For the duration, apparently (2015 is...optimistic, to say the least).

matttbastard said...

For the duration.

Alison said...

Mattt : Traditionally, occupations don't have a planned exit date.

ernie yacub said...

alison: thanks for cpp info, some of which i did know about - fyi the two links to cppib at pensions and landmines are broken.

Blog Archive