Canada and Germany are among the largest contributors to the international mission in Afghanistan, with troops in different parts of the country, fulfilling different roles. Canada's higher ratio of combat to development work is reflected in a higher rate of casualties. Canadians have sometimes joined in criticisms of Germany and other European allies for their unwillingness to take on riskier military tasks in Afghanistan's southern and eastern provinces. Some Germans, in turn, have chided Canada for stressing war - fighting at the expense of approaches more centred on development. This...