CIIA Toronto - Past Events

Event Summary:

Colonel Mike Capstick
Strengthening the Weak: Canada’s Commitment to Afghanistan

3 October 2006
Head Office of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA)

Event Moderated by: Rebecca Low, Vice President, CIIA (Toronto)
Summary by: Corinne Bordman (Program Coordinator, CIIA National Office)
On October 3, 2006, Colonel Mike Capstick of the Canadian Forces greeted a captive audience at the National Office of the CIIA. Organized by the Toronto Branch, this event brought together interested journalists, academics and members of the general public to hear an account of Afghanistan from a man who has spent time on the ground aiding with Canada’s contribution to security and reconstruction. Col. Capstick addressed where we have come from and where we are, what Canada is doing in Afghanistan, and strategic reflections about the prospects for the struggling country.

His lecture started with a simple quote from Thucydides, “…the powerful exact what they can, and the weak grant what they must.” He believed that this quote best reflects what has plagued Afghanistan for generations. The people of Afghanistan have suffered through coups, Soviet occupation, a bloody civil war, the Taliban regime and currently face a violent insurgency in the South. Each of these struggles for power in the country has caused its citizens to suffer.

Toward the end of 2001, the threat that Afghanistan posed became apparent. In October 2001, the United States began its bombing campaign and the Taliban fled. However, unlike wars of the past, there was no instrument of surrender. Although the bombing had been effective, there was still the question of what should happen next. To tackle this issue, a meeting of Afghan political leaders was organized by the United Nations in Bonn in late November 2001. This culminated in the Bonn Agreement which sought to create a stable and democratic Afghanistan. This was broken down into three transitory steps, each leading closer to the final goal. It began with a constitutional Loya Jirga in which a diverse gathering of Afghan groups came together to draft a widely accepted constitution for the country. This was followed by the direct election of the President and, finally, Parliament. What impressed Col. Capstick the most was witnessing the bravery of the Afghan men and women who exercised their vote despite long waits, oppressive heat and the threat of terrorist attack. Col. Capstick believes that “the people of Afghanistan want to take control of their future in a democratic fashion.” However, he doubts that the international community was truly prepared for the end of the Bonn process.

Following the Bonn Process was the London Conference in January-February 2006 at which two major documents were tabled. The first was the Afghan Compact, a mutual commitment between the international community and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The second was Afghanistan’s National Development Strategy (ANDS), essentially a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for the coming years or a “how to” description of next steps. Praise for these documents went beyond simple rhetoric with a formal endorsement from the UN Security Council through Resolution 1659 in February 2006. Col. Capstick insists that this signals that there is no room for neutrality in Afganistan. The world has shown that there are not two sides to the conflict and that the international community firmly stands behind the establishment of a democratic government in Afghanistan.

The ANDS is divided into three main pillars, each essential for the creation and success of a new Afghan society. These pillars are: security; governance, rule of law and human rights and; economic and social development. While each of these pillars is unique, Col. Capstick emphasized the interaction among them, using the examples of counternarcotics, anti-corruption, and gender equity efforts.

Col. Capstick then focused on the challenges being faced today in Afghanistan, namely the insurgency in the South of the country. He suggested that this is not a classic national liberation struggle but rather an amorphous network of groups including the former Taliban, criminals, drug lords and traditional tribe lords. This mismatched collection is bound together by the common aim of preventing the Afghan government from asserting its sovereign authority in the South. Col. Capstick believed that the insurgency is not trying to win the tactical battle but, rather, attempting to convince the international and Afghan decision makers that the cost of fighting the insurgency is too high and that troops should be withdrawn. Interestingly, Col. Capstick emphasized that the insurgency has no popular support and that the villagers are victims. Those who are recruited to the insurgency are often desperate young men given money for their families and guns to fight.

Col. Capstick then focused on how Canada is contributing along the lines of the three pillar strategy mentioned earlier. Although the Canadian Forces, DFAIT, and CIDA each have their focus, their work is complementary and integral to each pillar. Col. Capstick then discussed the current state of each area. Security is the main concern of Afghan citizens and essential for further development. It is improving through the reform of the Afghan National Army and National Police, although there has been more progress in the former than the latter. Governance and rule of law is challenged by corruption and crime, and could be strengthened if the Afghan leadership had confidence that the world would back its decisions and not abandon them. Lastly, the Colonel stated that international aid towards economic and social development is incoherent, under funded, and lacks urgency. Despite the challenges faced by the country, Col. Capstick belives that progress is occurring.

In closing, Col. Capstick commented that the future of Afghanistan is still being contested. Although we have not won yet, we have not lost either. He believes that people must step back and look at the broad picture to genuinely get a sense of the state of the country. Furthermore, Col. Capstick suggests that this is a generational commitment and that we must be committed for the long-term to truly see change in Afghanistan. Overall, he believes that there are more positives than negatives and that remarkable progress is being made. To conclude, Col. Capstick reminded the audience that we have committed to the country on multiple occasions and wondered how a country with so much could ever walk away from people with so little.

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