The conflict in Afghanistan has slid down the political radar this election, says an analyst who is calling for a shift from a military strategy to diplomacy. "Are we changing Afghanistan or is Afghanistan changing us?" Steven Staples, president of the Rideau Institute, a non-partisan foreign policy think tank based in Ottawa, told The Examiner yesterday. "We need to change our tack to a diplomatic solution to the war," he said. Staples began an 18-city tour in Peterborough last night, giving his presentation, Canada in Afghanistan, at the George Street United Church. As election day nears, Roy Brady, chapter chairman for the Peterborough/ Kawartha Council of Canadians, which sponsored the event, says Canada's role in Afghanistan is being overlooked. "We need to examine it," he said, and that's why the Council of Canadians invited Staples to speak in Peterborough. "At the beginning of this election, Afghanistan was a Top 4 issue," Staples said. "But from the debates, you wouldn't know it." ....
