I think that the presence of a political adviser from Canada or elsewhere is always a good idea when a democracy has been set up, because that is not self-evident. We can understand it, because we have lived in a democracy since birth. The problem in Afghanistan is that although there is a willingness to commit, there is no formal commitment on the part of the international community, namely on the financial level. The Karzaï government lacks the resources it needs to meet the objectives that it has set, and most of its budget comes from that source. We understand the importance of that.
The second issue is the deployment of foreign troops. Moving ISAF into southern Afghanistan is positive, because that will mean an increase in the number of troops, if it is done quickly enough. The difficulty presently facing western nations is determining who will do what, who will conduct combat operations, who will conduct reconstruction and humanitarian assistance operations, and so on. The majority of Canadian troops are involved in combat operations outside the area or in more isolated areas, to counter the insurgents where they have taken refuge. Once there are more troops in the field, part of the contingent will be able to remain there, and the other part will have to provide protection for certain villages. And increase in the number of troops will perhaps make it possible to provide greater security.