Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Nicholson has declared that extending Canada's war effort into Syria is a matter of "moral clarity." After reviewing the results of military incursions into Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, Gerald Caplan writes:
Lesson learned? We’re living them. They’re in the headlines every day. The consequences expected of military intrusions are rarely achieved. On the contrary: overwhelmingly, when the west has intervened in foreign lands with little understanding of local conditions and no strategy or plan beyond military force – we should add here Vietnam and Cambodia, though they aren’t Muslim like all the others – the result has been increased violence and chaos there and increased danger to ourselves as shown by al-Qaeda, 9/11 and the Islamic State.
Perhaps, Caplan writes, these military interventions provide another kind of moral clarity:
Canada’s mission involves collaboration with war criminals, mass murderers, ethnic cleansers and deadly fanatics of various kinds. How else to describe the rulers of Syria and Iran, our tacit allies against IS? Or the Iraqi militias – also allies – described by the United Nations as guilty of war crimes and perhaps crimes against humanity? Or Kurd fighters from an organization listed as terrorist by NATO? We’re already tight with Saudi Arabia, which can teach IS lessons about serious beheadings.
The truth is many of our allies are hardly better than IS itself. That’s what’s morally clear. We throw around accusations of genocide against ISIS when we ourselves collaborate with war criminals and terrorists. Is it moral to send our troops into Syria when we haven’t been invited by its government, a clear violation of international law despite the government’s flimsy rationalizations? (Ask Putin about the Ukraine.)
Nicholson's moral clarity is the same moral clarity that burned witches in Salem.
9 comments:
I think Nicholson has moved on to foreign affairs and Kenney has taken his old job as defmin.
You're right, of course, Mound. It pays to know the players. I've made the change. Thanks.
As GWB said about history in the end we are all dead. Moral clarity or logic clarity its all mud to Harper.
You know what is pathetic? It is when the Shia militias in Iraq refuse to work with the Americans (and Canadians) against ISIS in Iraq: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-alliance-infighting-raises-questions-about-group-s-ability-1.3012952
Apparently, these Shia militias find it immoral to be in the same coalition with the Americans that they had previously fought against during Saddam's reign.
In fact some of these Shia militias are threatening to shoot down American (and presumably, Canadian) planes.
As Mulcair had said to Great Closet Leader in Parliament, in Canada, idiocy passes for an argument.
And the root cause of idiocy? Idiots. Especially those who are leading Canadians into these Sunni-Shia religious conflicts that likely started long ago about who should succeed their Prophet Muhammad after his death.
In the Middle East, Anon, yesterday's ally can become today's enemy.
It's impossible to convince a man who believes he has all the answers that he's wrong, Steve.
Some things do get lost in translation.
It's helps to know what the real message is, Steve. Thanks for the link.
Caplan you are correct...
Mogs Moglio
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