Sometimes, the little things make a big difference. Sometimes the little things add up. And sometimes the little things are all you have. It might be wise to remember this as Canadian troops ramp up their peace operations in Mali, where they are conducting medical evacuations on behalf of United Nations forces trying to intervene in an al-Qaida-driven insurgency. Some say Canada should be doing more. Some say we shouldn’t be there at all. But unlike some previous deployments, Canada’s response in Mali is measured and expectations appear to be contained. Take, for example, Afghanistan. A recent New York Times study revealed that the Taliban control or contest 61 per cent of Afghan districts—largely, the numbers suggest, because opposing government forces are much smaller and weake...