Promoting an Unpopular War

Our Canadian government is concerned that our participation in the war in Afghanistan is not supported by enough Canadians. There is a good reason many, though not all, Canadians do not fully support Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Those opposed to Canada's mission claim that there is not enough reconstruction in Afghanistan as opposed to fighting by our troops. There is not enough homes, water and sewage systems, schools, etc. being built by our troops. These claim is made that Canada, following the lead of the U.S.A., is spending too much time fighting battles (and killing the local people) and too little time helping Afghanis rebuild their cities, farms and lives. The complaint is that our military can not force a country to become a democratic at the end of a gun barrel. Afghanis are more likely to eventually adopt a democratic form of government if we redefine the mission of the military to spend more time helping Afghanis rebuild their country instead of shooting them. If Canadians are hated because they just bombed a village, or shot a loved one, Canadians will simply end up being hated and feared and will be less able to help rebuild a war torn country. As well insurgents will all the more likely rise up to drive the foreign troops out of their county. The more we are hated the less effective our efforts will be to help the Afghani people develop a democratic form of government.

I know there are some who argue that our troops can not begin serious redevelopment as long as there is so much violence and instability in the country. This point of view is only partially true. The more Canadians can be seen to be rebuilders rather than destroyers, the less reasons the Afghanis will find to attack our troops. I believe that if there was an increased emphasis on rebuilding, as opposed to fighting, eventually this would lead to a decrease in the violence, and a diminishing desire to drive the foreign troops out of the country. For these reasons the war in Afghanistan has become unpopular among some Canadians.

Our government wants to increase the support for the war. The Prime Minister has stated increased support for the war in Afghanistan as one of the goals of his government. Today was the 90th anniversary of the 1st World War battle of Vimy Ridge with the rededication of the Vimy memorial in France to fallen Canadian solders. Several members of our government, many Canadian school children, and veterans, and other dignitaries were there for the rededication of the Vimy memorial. This was not the time or place to garner support for Canada's present mission in Afghanistan. Our Prime Minister attempted to use the sacrifices made at Vimy ridge as reason to support our present day mission in Afghanistan (i.e. because of the sacrifices at Vimy we should support the war in Afghanistan). I cannot follow the Prime Minister's logic. The battle at Vimy Ridge, including all the fighting of WW I, in my opinion were not battles of heroic glory, but battles of folly. Ninety years ago the solders were fighting to keep empires going; these empires had already outlived their time period and were relics of a past age. For the Prime Minister to claim that Canadians should support the war in Afghanistan because of all the Canadians who sacrificed with their lives at Vimy Ridge, is false logic, bordering on propaganda. The folly of one war, even if thousands of Canadian solders did give up their lives as an ultimate sacrifice, can not and must not be used in an attempt to garner support for another war, equally fraught with its own folly. Now, instead of our soldiers fighting to prop up empires long since dead, our solders fight for the vain attempt to try to bring democracy to Afghanistan at the end of a gun barrel. Such folly! The sacrifices made by our troops in one foolish war cannot be reason for use to support sacrifices made by another generation of solders in another foolish war. To top off this false logic, our Prime Minister brought up the recent deaths of six Canadian solders serving in Afghanistan--we honour their deaths and sacrifices when we support the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. No! No! No!

I support the service and sacrifices of our Canadian Men and Women fighting in the military They serve where ever they are ordered to serve. I do not support the present Canadian Mission in Afghanistan. The mission as it is structured cannot succeed. Democracy can not be forced upon a nation at the end of a gun barrel. The proof of this is that the longer Canadians remain in Afghanistan, the more we are hated and the more the local people rise up in violence in an attempt to drive out all the foreign troops. I could support the mission of our troops if the mission were to be redefined to focus primarily on helping the Afghanis to rebuild their country as opposed to shooting them.

What upset me today was the way our Prime Minister wrongly used the 90th anniversary of the terrible battle at Vimy Ridge and the recent death of six Canadian solders in Afghanistan, all in an attempt to try to build up support for a war which is increasingly growing unpopular in Canada.