Why are we there? goes the chorus of late, as more and more Canadians question our presence in Afghanistan. And yet, this may have more to do with confusion surrounding the changing nature of NATO's mission than the mission itself.
In 2001, NATO's objective was clear: Oust the Taliban regime and eliminate the threat of future terrorist attacks on Western targets conceived, organized and sent forth from al-Qaeda's training centres in Afghanistan, which had been protected by the Taliban. In other words, we in the West would be safer at home once al-Qaeda – one of the primary transnational terrorist organizations – and its bases were eliminated.
