... Despite the globalization of radical Islamic terrorism there is little outward sense of national vulnerability. The country is not on a war footing. Many undoubtedly feel that so long as our pleasant little status quo is not disturbed back here, Canada can safely remain aloof from troubles in distant lands -- even when those troubles have migrated close to home, knocked down buildings, and killed Canadians sitting at their office desks.

Yes, Layton may have hit on something. Perhaps there is a limit to what we are prepared to do for our own security and for the security of others. So long as we are "peacekeepers," that's fine. But fighting for what we believe is not the Canadian way -- at least not anymore...

Of course, we are loath to acknowledge these self-imposed limitations publicly, lest friends and allies call us to account. What does it say about a self-proclaimed multilateralist who declines to shoulder a share of the burdens and risks of bringing stability to regions of the world in dire need of it?...(Indeed, the Security Council has given its blessing to NATO's Afghan operation, thereby satisfying a key NDP condition for the deployment of Canadian troops overseas.)..

If Canadians, including Layton, believe that the end -- a peaceful, stable Afghanistan -- is truly worthwhile, then they have little choice but to support appropriate means to achieve it...Put simply, peacekeeping and counter-insurgency operations (a.k.a. "limited war") are complementary. One cannot succeed without doing both simultaneously. Afghanistan is too far gone for blue berets to ride to the rescue...