Beaver, again you are so right!
Listening to Manley earlier gave me the impression that Canada, as a Nato Force, is continuing what Lester Pearson started, what Trudeau endorsed and supported, what Martin got us into and Harper is continuing.
All that is correct as I know it, BUT that is not the whole story. Canadians know, just as my humble self does, that we are there to support and to finish a war the Americans started. They didn't start it because they wanted the Afghan people to have a better and more modern life, No...they started it under the false pretense of getting Osama bin Laden, because they say he is responsible for the 9/11 attack. Yet, before the start of the war the Americans were asked to provide proof that he did it, before handing him over, they couldn't provide any proof and flatly dismissed the request by saying,... "we don't negotiate on that matter... hand him over or face the consequences"! And so the Americans, not the Canadians, went to war against Afghanistan.
Now, after more than six years of fighting and all sorts of countries gotten involved as well, the war is no longer about bin Laden and 9/11.... it wqas changed to a humanitarian war. Let's help the poor people in Afghanistan to free themselves from the Islamic fundamentalists, the Taliban. I have never heard the Afghan people asking us to come and help them, they were simply confronted with the Western Generosity.
It is the same situation in Iraq! Saddam had WMD and was a threat to USRAEL. It was imperative, to go in there and destroy those weapons. As it turned out, there were none! Therefore, the reason for the war against Iraq was change to a humanitarian one... let's free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein, the brutal dictator.
All sorts of countries were asked to join in that war, and many heeded the threat = if you are not with us then you are against us! Then you are a terrorist supporter.
Our PM at the time, Jean Chretien, had the guts to refuse; so did Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
The US is simply too powerful and will make any country that refuses to participate in their efforts for global supremacy, suffer dearly through economic manipulations. Canada, as a next-door neighbor, got a taste of it during the Chretien years. Finally, after Mulroony, the Conservatists are back in the saddle and we are brought in line again with the wishes of the Americans. As soon as we are not behaving, like not pulling our weight in Afghanistan or putting the US and Israel on a list with the worlds tortures, we get sternly reprimanded. Of course, our Harper Government retracts immediately any "misteps" to keep us compliant with the wishes of our dear neighbor.
The larger picture, I find, was missing in Manley's report. He does mention, though, how important it is that Canadians know and understand the situation and our commitment, but he avoided the crucial points completely.
I wonder how many Canadians will now be convinced that we should and must continue the mission, because we are tough and don't shy away from a tough job... we are leaders and play an important role on the world stage, we are also a rich country? Is he playing on our pride and national Ego, I wonder?
On the other hand, folks, what else are we to do? Although we are a big country, we simply don't have the power to defend ourselves against any serious aggressor, leave alone a big one! So, can't fight them ...join them! ;-):lol:
