For six years, some 55,000 troops have been in Afghanistan fighting a seemingly endless war. Billions of dollars of foreign aid have been poured into the country. Thousands of military and civilian causalities are the tragic human cost. International observers report that corruption is rampant, and the opium trade flourishes. A new Taliban insurgency is active. Washington has lined-up its junior partners to hold down Afghanistan, especially since 9/11 while the Americans devote their main energies to keeping Iraq from falling apart. In Canada meanwhile an unprecedented public concern has emerged, shown with every opinion poll which shows a majority of Canadians want to end Canada's currently defined military involvement in Afghanistan. In Quebec, the public demand for immediate withdrawal is highest and very visible.

Afghanistan and Canada brings together some of the most articulate and expert persons on this hot public issue. The contents lucidly review the facts about what is going on in this war-torn country. The changes brought about in both Canadian foreign policy and defense policy by the current Conservative government are critically examined. The impact of a massively increased military budget of billions of dollars and the corporate contracts changing Canada's domestic and international priorities are analyzed. The massively advertised military recruitment campaign and the changed role of the Canadian armed forces are shown to have a distorting effect on society. These and related issues are brought to light in this cogently edited anthology.