Foreign Affairs committee  I basically agree with Ms. MacDonald. We haven't been doing terrorist searches. If we had been doing proper counter-insurgency, which means a real commitment to the civilian population in the area we're working in, we wouldn't be seeing the situation we're seeing now. This may be

Foreign Affairs committee  All right. Can I put in a plug, then?

Foreign Affairs committee  To say that conditions today are worse than they were under the Taliban regime would be an exaggeration. Obviously, some Kandahar residents long for the old days, but it is very easy to be nostalgic when times are hard. If we were to poll residents and ask them if they want the T

Foreign Affairs committee  I think it's a sort of reinforcement. I think we may disagree on some of the specifics, but a fundamental message that I think the two of us share is that there needs to be a transformation in approach. We need to stay, but not as we're currently staying, not as we're currently b

Foreign Affairs committee  If you want me to be absolutely honest, here's what I would say. I have not seen any indication in the last five and a half years that the policy of the countries that count--meaning mine and yours at the moment--is going to change in ways that could really make this turn around.

Foreign Affairs committee  Sorry, could I please add something to the previous answer on CIDA?

Foreign Affairs committee  I actually disagree very strongly with Ms. MacDonald's approach. I think a couple of things. I think CIDA procedures need to be streamlined. Like every public development agency, it's way too bureaucratic. I'm actually in the process of applying for some money from CIDA. I look

Foreign Affairs committee  Particularly humanitarian workers like to make a very strong division between them, the kind of white-painted neutral humanitarians, and the soldiers and the Afghan government. Regular Afghans see those three groups as part of an interlocking system, which is the post-Taliban reg

Foreign Affairs committee  Sorry. This is just the last sentence.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks very much for having me. I'm only sorry I couldn't be in the room with you. I'd like to speak fairly briefly because I think it really is important to leave plenty of time for questions. Basically, I want to make two major points. One is that I feel very strongly, as so