Unwinnable Peace: Untold Stories of Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan

Canada’s longest war (2001-2014) pushed military, diplomatic, judicial and humanitarian organizations to their limits. Was it all in vain?

Based on interviews with twenty-one key decision-makers and participants, many of whom are speaking publicly for the first time, Unwinnable Peace recounts the personal and professional challenges faced by individuals deeply committed to securing and rebuilding Kandahar province.

• Diplomats planting seeds of democracy in a society dominated by warlords
• Aid workers bringing relief and development to shattered communities
• Mounties struggling to improve a corrupt and illiterate police force
• A young foreign service officer who suffered life-changing injuries
• Prison experts bringing international standards to a jail used to torture
• The Canadian and Afghan generals who fought the Taliban
• The Afghan-Canadian who risked his life to govern the Province of Kandahar
• Interpreters desperate to save their families from retribution

These are the men and women who are still struggling to reconcile their sacrifices with the eventual Taliban victory.

A veteran diplomat, the author combines his personal experiences with those of his colleagues (Afghan and Canadian) to examine Canada’s mission to Afghanistan at a human level.

Tim Martin was the last Representative of Canada in Kandahar (RoCK). A career diplomat, he had previously served in Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Somalia and had held ambassador-level positions in the Palestinian Territories, Argentina and Colombia. For his service to Canada, Tim has been honoured with three medals in addition to the Award of Excellence in the Public Service for Canada’s humanitarian assistance to Palestinian children affected by conflict.