Good Grief!

What, precisely, is Richard Colvin's axe, he so assiduously grinds? An inflated view of himself? As a concerned human-rights activist? I've been personally acquainted on a long-standing basis abroad with those of the diplomatic corps, and I've been astonished to observe the level of self-absorbed entitlement that so many of these people, assumed to be among the best and the brightest representatives of their countries abroad, are possessed with.

They are obsessively concerned with their singular advantages. And, incidentally, representing their countries' interests.

How, precisely, is Richard Colvin representing the best interests of his country? By insisting that as an observant diplomat he took it upon himself to be cognizant of what he construed as human rights abuses despoiling the reputation of his country? Canada's military is tainted by association. Handing over to the host country's security agents captured Taliban militia members.

This would be the same Taliban that purposefully target schoolchildren, destroy their schools and murder their teachers. In a country in a part of the world where corruption is rampant and an integral part of the culture, as an ingrained tradition, and so is torture.

Canada, along with other NATO member countries, is doing its utmost to try to turn some of those traditions around. The traditions that decry the education of girl children and of women. In a country where girls are married off to old men and are then evermore consigned to a condition of silence and smothering cover-ups, raising children and doing the bidding of their menfolk, Canada seeks to liberate.

The primary goal, of course, is to assist the country, through its absurdly incompetent and crooked government, to foster a system of administrative capability, so that the population can have confidence that their government cares for them and will help advance their futures. A situation which cannot even remotely become reality until and unless security can be assured. And, alas, security cannot be assured, only sought after with the hope of eventual success.

For the corrupt and maladroit Afghan military and their national police cannot succeed on their own. Not just yet; not on a wide scale. Training is ongoing, thanks to the presence and determination of foreign troops and emissaries of human rights. This is a long, slow uphill battle, most particularly in view of a beefed-up insurgency. Foreign troops give up lives, foreign treasuries give up funds, foreign diplomats and civic volunteers give their expertise to help forge a workable country.

Between battling the Taliban, teaching the Afghan government and civil administration, building medical clinics, schools and trust, weary and traumatized foreign military personnel are expected to be concerned about the well-being of captured Taliban who, given the least opportunity, through IED placement or suicide bombs or direct assault, would slaughter them? Is there something awry with this picture?

Standing before a specially convened commission, this rights-scandalized Canadian diplomat who has taken offence at the purported ignoring at all levels of his tetchily-warning missives implicates the government at every level of accountability, as well as the former chief of the defence staff. Embroidering as he goes along, the indignities his claims were exposed to. Insisting that it was innocent Afghan civilians who were taken into custody and then tortured by Afghan authorities.

Which can and does happen, likely on a regular basis. And this too bespeaks an unfortunate part of the culture which foreign interests are desperately attempting to overturn, calling upon the newly inaugurated Hamid Karzai to finally come to grips with rampant corruption. And torture of prisoners can certainly qualify there.

I personally assume, from my previous experience, that Richard Colvin represents yet another emotional misfit.

Charged by the Government of Canada to represent it responsibly and accurately on the world stage. Has the elite nature of his diplomatic position abroad gone to his head, and completely addled his cerebellum? Canada's military does what it can, and does it well, from battling insurgents, defusing IEDs (when possible, before they explode killing Canadian soldiers or village children), gaining the trust of Afghan civilians through positive civic deeds.

We do not, nor should we be expected to, police the police of another country for the solemn purpose of instantly teaching them that to torture anyone, whatever their status, represents a human-rights abuse. We can point this out to them, chide them in diplomatic language, separate ourselves from the issue, but we cannot, at this point, prevent it. Our inability to prevent it does not paint us guilty as charged.

Is it remotely possible to charge Mr. Colvin with egregious mischief-making on a grand scale due to a personal agenda of self-aggrandizement?