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Photo by NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images

We knew going in that military might would achieve only limited effect. Killing the Taliban was hardly a long-term solution. Canada opted for a whole-of-government approach that married community development and international diplomacy with sharp-end activities related to defence. We called that approach 3D, and we made sure all our government departments worked in close collaboration to make our interventions effective, which they were to such a degree that other nations began to adopt our approach. It was a valuable new perspective. To succeed now, we must again change our perspective in three ways.

First, we must trust that the citizens of Afghanistan truly desire stability. Afghans understand that life is better when their democratically elected government ensures their security. And they’ll fight for it. While they have great patience, they will take up arms to defend what they value, and that includes the freedom to make their own choices about how to live their lives. But they need help to get their democracy working. This democracy is only 17-years old; like any teenager, it needs wise guidance to grow strong. The stronger it becomes, the less likely it is the Taliban will continue to have an influence.

Second, we must acknowledge that we have made already a difference. Watching the news, one can wrongly assume that everything good was quickly erased by the Taliban. While it’s true that the Taliban went to great efforts to destroy anything we built, dug, dredged, installed or donated, that action backfired on them every time. We would just go to the community and say, “We built that thing together. The Taliban destroyed it. Your issue is with them.” It soon became apparent to each community that the Taliban was setting them back years in development. That fact was never lost on them.