By STEVEN CHASE, Toronto Globe and Mail

The Canadian military has been studying the Soviet debacle in Afghanistan for clues on how to prevent similar mistakes as NATO tries to beat back a persistent insurgency and ready the country's weak but pro-Western government to assume greater control.

It began a research project in 2006, a year in which fighting intensified in the war against the Taliban.

OTTAWA -- Americans' privileged access to Canada's massive oil and gas reserves could be disrupted if Washington cancels the North American Free Trade Agreement as Democratic presidential candidates threaten, Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson warned.