Join the fray or be forgotten: what a great way of winning hearts and minds.
It was 40 unhappy Pashtoon tribal elders versus three tough-talking Canadian army officers with a rather large carrot and an even bigger stick – a stick they had never before shown.
Align with us against the Taliban, the Canadians told the chieftains, and the people of embattled Panjwaii will reap untold rewards, starting with a large stack of Ottawa-and-Washington-backed development dollars poised for the first whisper of actual security.
Remain mere observers to lawless insurgency and – here comes the stick – Panjwaii will be forgotten. Unless the elders soon seize their tribal entitlement to power and influence and take a stand, the spoils of stability will go to a more hospitable patch of Kandahar province.
The officer is just telling it like it is. One thing we were always told when we went over seas is when dealing with the local political leaders, you deal with them on a need to know basis but you never outright lie. They may not like you, but they’ll respect you.
Why should NATO help locals who help the Taliban when you have limited resources? Bribery is a great negotiating tool. This isn’t something for nothing.