August 14, 2006–Scott Taylor is an award-winning Canadian journalist, as well as an editor, storyteller and ex-commando. He has reported from Serbia, Cambodia, and the Western Sahara, and is the veteran of 21 (un-embedded) trips into Iraq, during one of which he was kidnapped by anti-Western insurgents. His magazine, Esprit de Corps has been called the “voice of the grunts” for its willingness to take on the military establishment. He recently sat for an interview with The Republic.

Vern Huffman – Canadian forces are in Afghanistan, bringing them democracy and Western values. Is this possible, to franchise out our way of life?

Scott Taylor – You can’t. We say we are giving them democracy, fighting oppression, but so did the Russians. They were invited in also, and probably had more support than President Karzai, who asked us in. We and the Russians both see Afghan customs as oppressing women, but many Afghans see our ways as freeing women to become strippers and take drugs. It cannot work, not even in terms of daily life.

For example, the Iraqis traditionally take a siesta, in the heat of the day, and then come out later, in the cool of the evening to eat, to work. This was their schedule to match the climate. The Americans decided the Iraqis would have to learn a good old 9-to-5 workday. They had the Iraqis out in the sun, even for clearing minefields. The workers got heat exhaustion and so the Americans had to bring in air-conditioned tents to relieve them.

VH – I know the military has a procedure for everything. When I see all these photos in the media where soldiers are handing out candy to kids, I wonder if there is a military system for candy-handing.

ST – Ha. By the numbers. Yes, the army does everything by the numbers. This is a new hearts-and-minds [campaign], proof that we are losing the war in Afghanistan. They are trying to sell us on these PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], but after four-and-a-half-years into the war, we still need armed military to hand out candy and blankets.

VH – Why do you think this candy propaganda is being presented to us as if it were real information?

ST - The problem is the military wants it both ways. They do not want to be seen as peacekeepers anymore; they are fighting soldiers. They really insist on that. But the minute anything goes wrong, they are then desperately trying to sell the mission by saying that it is UN-sanctioned, or under the UN umbrella, or whatever will please the public. But it is not. We are in Operation Enduring Freedom and under American overall control. The UN only sanctioned the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force], which we left when we quit Kabul.

Even [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper said, on the death of Private Costall, that it happened on a UN-sanctioned mission. I had to roll my eyes at that; they must know better on Parliament Hill. Show me one UN blue helmet, one blue flag, anything, on the ground over there. For a while, they made us take down our own Canadian flag—the Americans, that is, not the Afghans. They said the mission was going to fly only US or Afghan flags.

Also, what do embedded journalists get to see? What would you say if the Romanian military occupied your town and a Romanian tank and journalist showed up at your door? You love the government they have installed and want these guys to stay. Of course the locals are smiling when an armoured vehicle and an armed patrol show up. After the gun ships and tanks are gone, they come out to hit us, like they did to Trevor Green. He was part of a PRT.

At the NATO briefings in the Balkans, they would tell us about the 5th Serbian Armoured Brigade being stationed some place. I’d travel down there and it would be a 22-year-old officer, 50 kids, and a pot-bellied old man sitting around drinking beer, and one vehicle up on blocks. That was the reality of the 5th Brigade. The other reporters were at NATO head-quarters jotting down press releases.

Information is a weapon. Quality of information? People do not read enough. News has to be a minute-and-a-half of entertainment. You cannot simplify the Balkans or Afghanistan like that. We talk of the Afghanistan people—which ones? Tajiks, Uzbecks, Pushtans, Turko-men, Taliban, anti-Taliban? Not that simple.

VH – In my limited military experience, I do not recall it being a democratic institution, and it was not much interested in my opinion. All of the soldiers I see interviewed are 100 percent behind the mission. Do they have any choice but to say that?

ST – No. If a soldier has a good case, he or she can go through the system, but we know people who have suffered the backlash for disagreeing or making waves.

VH – As a publisher, will you bid on General Hillier’s memoirs?

ST – Can’t. We do not have that kind of money. Otherwise, sure.

VH – I am getting a little concerned that the military seems to be sending Canada to war. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

ST – Absolutely. The military keep trying to get the Canadian public to support the mission and that is just not their job. No one is saying that we are taking casualties because we are not up to the job. No one is even hinting that. But if we question the role we are playing, it’s not like we’re not supporting the troops, or disrespecting them somehow. A couple of our people are killed and the people ask what are we doing there—that’s right. What about the reverse? What if we didn’t care, did not question if we are squandering soldiers in an un-winnable war? Say we are up to 35 dead and 200 wounded, and then tractor trailers of body bags come home, and nobody blinked? How would the serving army feel? Like they’re dying over there and nobody gives a rat’s.

General Hillier will be at a conference in Ottawa, all defence contractors honouring him. There will be hips of beef and flagons of wine and he will make a brief speech, but mainly it is to honour Hillier. He has become a major political figure, a real driving force. I don’t think the Conservatives know what to make of this guy; I don’t think anyone does. We have not seen his like in Canada. Ever. Maybe we have a General MacArthur on our hands.