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Military commanders in Afghanistan have said that soldiers' morale is unshaken by five new casualties this weekend.
This robust approach is precisely what we have come to expect of British forces in Helmand: they focus on the positive elements of their mission regardless of the possibility that men may at any point lose their lives from the Taliban's deadly and capricious weapon of choice, the improvised explosive device, or roadside bomb.
But back here, passing the milestone of 200 deaths and the forthcoming release of estimates for soldiers maimed and injured do raise doubts about what, precisely, these sacrifices are for. There will be many people, who, like Dame Vera Lynn, unquestioningly support British troops in Afghanistan without knowing quite why they are there. The Government is getting better at putting its case for a British presence in Afghanistan but if there is confusion at home about the purpose of the mission, it has a good deal to do with ministers' conflicting and various explanations.
John Reid, the Defence Secretary at the time British troops went into Afghanistan, went to great lengths to explain that they were there to support aid and construction efforts; more recently, Harriet Harman, women's minister, made much of efforts to establish girls' schools in Afghanistan; every so often there is talk of containing opium production and its export to Britain.
But the basic reason for Britain being in Afghanistan is to make it impossible for the Taliban to return. If they do, they might play host to the Islamic extremist groups that seek our harm. Part of that effort is to establish a working political system run by Afghans and that is why there is so much focus on this week's elections. Nato forces have made an election possible. That is a real gain.
Britain is in Afghanistan as part of a Nato mission. The US is plainly the lead partner; its forces will shoulder an increasing amount of the burden. Much of the real work is in fact being done in Pakistan, whose army is attacking extremist bases in the border areas. But if those extremists had an Afghan haven, that struggle would be futile.
There is, then, a good case for British engagement in Afghanistan. But ministers should focus on the essentials of the mission lest the public, sickened by the numbers of coffins returning to British towns, finally turns against it.
Japan's rising sun
The Japanese economy has emerged from recession: only tentatively but still there was clear growth for the first quarter of the year. Some of this is attributable to robust government intervention, some to a slight increase in demand in China. It is good news for Britain, just as is the news that Germany and France are out of recession.
There are lessons here for Britain. Some of Japan's problems are those we might wish we had. The country suffered from being so heavily dependent on demand abroad for its exports of manufactured goods. Britain's manufacturing sector is now so small, its effect on the overall economy is negligible. It tells us something that two economies that have, however falteringly, pulled out of recession, Germany and Japan, have strong manufacturing bases.
Those that lag behind are the US and the UK, heavily dependent on financial services. There is a further problem in Britain, in that, unlike Japan or Germany, we have a huge level of personal debt and an unhealthy reliance on rising house prices. All of which raises the question: what did Gordon Brown mean when he said Britain had the strongest economy in Europe?
Prince Charles at it again
After his intervention in the Chelsea Barracks project, it turns out that the Prince of Wales tried to influence another sensitive architectural project, the area near St Paul's cathedral, by suggesting the developers should not employ a modernist architect. It's one thing to stimulate public debate but it would inspire more confidence were he actually to see the schemes he condemns before trying to kill them off
Reader views (1)
Where does the Taliban get its funding from? No prizes for guessing (it's the United States).
- Neil, London, London UK, 18/08/2009 10:04
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