Generals and politicians are often accused of being too ready to fight the last war. This is a dark way of putting the axiom that Carl von Clauswitz framed positively from a soldier's perspective, to wit, that surprise plays a more important role in a successful military strategy than tactics.

Ironically in Afghanistan at the bleak start of the 21st Century, our Canadian political leaders are prepared to fight the last peace. As a result, there will be no surprises, and victory will elude us. There will only be stalemate and the drip, drip, drip of Canadian blood and treasure, and, eventually, withdrawal.