By William Tatsiou: A new path is necessary  in Afghanistan

The Fraser methodology offers the best hope of victory with honour in Afghanistan.Brigadier  General David Fraser is one of our best and an expert on Afghanistan as he served as Commander, Multi National Brigade (Regional Command South).

Employment opportunities for local young men offer the best hope. The average Afghan citizen makes less than $60 U.S. per month. The Afghans are great warriors. In their gene pool you find Alexander the Great's veterans and the Mongolians. They were the finest warriors the world has ever seen. Get them on our side to work for their families, communities and their country. We spend $1 billion a year and the Americans and Nato spend billions more.

One billion U.S. dollars per month should get you close to 1 million Afghan soldiers, police, civil servants  based on the average monthly wage for the average Afghan. The Afghans have the ability, with our help, to provide for their own security and to establish peace for their communities. The Taliban have less than 50,000 combatants.

We need to be realistic. To date cassualties have been very low when compared to wars of the past (Thank God for this!).We need to make a significant commitment over a ten year period. As Fraser stated in his recent speech at the Empire Club we were in the Balkans and Bosnia for 12 years. Canada has the will and capacity for long term commitments.

For professional soldiers Afghanistan offers opportunities for promotion and advancement. Canadian soldiers did not become soldiers to avoid danger and run away from risks. They know the risks and freely serve. We should all be very proud of them as they are the few and the brave. They are the best Canadians we have because they serve the greater good while the rest of us fall short.

With a strong Afghan state, and with NATO's assistance, the Taliban will never win. More combat, logistics, intelligence and other support activities should be downloaded to the Afghans in order to minimize our cassualties. Moreover, as Afghans assume more responsibility for their country our job will be done and a time will come for our men and women to come home with honour, victorious and proud.