The NATO mission in Afghanistan will not be successful without a credible partner leading the Afghan government, says a former UN envoy to the country, who called the campaign "a waste of resources" if soldiers are unable to do their jobs.
Former deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan Peter Galbraith said the recent U.S. surge of 30,000 troops into the country to bolster the counter-insurgency strategy also requires reliable local partners, such as a competent army and police force.
Galbraith said the Afghan army is not yet ready to function on its own and he outright dismissed Afghan police as "an utter disaster," while pointing out that President Hamid Karzai's government lacks legitimacy because of fraudulent elections and ongoing corruption allegations.
"Had (Karzai) won fairly, and he might have won fairly, then he would be in a stronger position, though he would of course still have the same flaws of character. Had somebody else won a legitimate election, they would have been a stronger partner," Galbraith told CTV's Question Period in a Sunday morning interview.
"If the troops can't accomplish their mission, if they can't succeed at the counter-insurgency campaign because of a lack of a local partner, then frankly they shouldn't be there. It's a waste of resources, and frankly it's also immoral to send young men and women into combat where they cannot succeed."
Galbraith has been highly critical of the UN mission in Afghanistan since he was let go from his position last September.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired Galbraith after a highly publicized dispute with the head of the UN mission, Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide. Galbraith claimed that Eide did not do enough to prevent fraud in last summer's Afghan presidential election.
Karzai was declared the winner last fall despite revelations of widespread ballot-box stuffing and other fraudulent activities.
Despite his bleak predictions, Galbraith said rather than decide to withdraw based on an arbitrary timeline, the Canadian government should make a "joint decision" about winding down the mission with its major partners.
"I think Canada's decision really ought to be made in the context of the alliance," Galbraith said. "It is a group effort and so rather than acting unilaterally, I would hope that the Canadian government would present its views very candidly in an exchange with the United States and Britain and Germany and the other major partners that are present there, so that there could be a joint decision."
But when asked whether he felt Canada was cutting and running from the mission by choosing to withdraw in 2011, Galbraith said "absolutely not." He also praised the work and sacrifice of Canadian troops, who he had the chance to meet in Kandahar during his time with the UN mission.
"Canada has been there from the beginning, it's had an enormous sacrifice of Canadian troops," Galbraith said. "I know the cost that Canada has paid. It's made a major contribution."
