Marcu
      8,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ray
      Keating
      :
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      week,
      The
      Cadre
      is
      running
      a
      story
     
     
      (found
      on
      p.
      3)
      about
      increased
      Canadian
     
     
      involvement
      in
      Afghanistan.
      I
      am
      not
     
     
      going
      to
      come
      out
      in
      support
      of
      this,
      nor
     
     
      am
      I
      going
      to
      come
      out
      against
      it.
      What
      I
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘am
      going
      to
      do
      is
      throw
      some
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      arguments
      on
      either
      side
      out
      there
      for
     
     
      everyone
      to
      think
      about.
      One
      thing
      is
      for
     
     
      certain
      though,
      our
      soldiers
      who
      are
     
     
      deployed
      in
      Afghanistan,
      or
      anywhere
     
     
      else
      for
      that
      matter,
      need
      to
      know
      that
     
     
      they
      have
      the
      full
      support
      of
      the
     
     
      Canadians
      at
      home.
      They
      didn’t
      pick
      the
     
     
      mission,
      and
      it
      doesn’t
      really
      matter
      if
     
     
      we
      agree
      with
      the
      mission
      or
      not,
      we
      owe
     
     
      these
      men
      and
      women,
      who
      are
      putting
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      lives
      out
      there
      in
      the
      name
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada,
      our
      utmost
      respect.
     
    

    
     
      In
      favor
      of
      the
      deployment,
      we
     
     
      have
      to
      look
      at
      the
      situation
      in
     
     
      Afghanistan
      from
      an_
      historical
     
     
      perspective.
      I
      am
      not
      talking
      ancient
     
     
      history,
      I
      am
      thinking
      back
      to
      the
      1970's
     
     
      and
      80’s
      when
      we
      were
      locked
      in
      a
      cold
     
     
      war
      with
      the
      Soviet
      Union.
      When
      people
     
     
      speak
      of
      this
      cold
      war,
      they
      generally
     
    
   
   
    
     
      think
      of
      the
      US
      and
      the
      USSR,
      but
      it
      is_
     
    
   
   
    
     
      more
      realistic
      to
      look
      at
      it
      in
      terms
      of
     
     
      East
      vs.
      West.
      Canada
      faced
      a
      very
      real
     
     
      threat
      during
      these
      years,
      and
      the
     
     
      Americans
      made
      it
      clear
      that
      they
      were
     
     
      there
      to
      protect
      us
      from
      that
      threat.
      The
     
     
      Americans
      are
      our
      allies,
      we
      don’t
      have
     
     
      to
      agree
      with
      them
      on
      every
      issue,
      but
     
     
      we
      have
      to
      recognize
      that
      if
      push
      comes
     
     
      to
      shove,
      they
      will
      protect
      us
      from
     
     
      ageressors,
      even
      if
      we
      look
      at
      it
      cynically
     
     
      and
      view
      their
      motivation
      for
      protecting
     
     
      us
      as
      totally
      self
      serving.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Americans
      have
      made
      a
      lot
     
     
      of
      mistakes
      in
      their
      foreign
      policy,
      and
     
     
      Afghanistan
      is
      one
      of
      them.
      During
      the
     
     
      cold
      war,
      it
      was
      in
      the
      West’s
      interest
      to
     
     
      avoid
      Soviet
      control
      of
      Afghanistan.
      The
     
     
      Americans
      supported
      local
      rebels
      against
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      I
      Digress...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      USSR,
      and
      as
      the
      Eastern
      Bloc
     
     
      started
      to
      crumble,
      the
      Soviets
      pulled
     
     
      out
      and
      left
      Afghanistan
      a
      war
      torn
     
     
      country
      with
      a
      terrible
      legacy
      of
      death
     
     
      and
      destruction.
      The
      real
      American
     
     
      mistake
      was
      that
      they
      left
      Afghanistan
     
     
      too.
      The
      rebels,
      left
      with
      a
      power
     
     
      vacuum
      and
      a
      lot
      of
      American
      arms,
     
     
      took
      control
      of
      the
      country
      and
      formed
     
     
      a
      theocratic
      dictatorship
      that
      we
      all
     
     
      know
      as
      the
      Taliban
      now.
      This
      is
      the
     
     
      result
      of
      destabilizing
      governments
      in-
     
     
      other
      countries
      and
      then
      leaving.
      This
     
     
      said,
      the
      Americans
      did
      what
      they
      did
     
     
      there
      to
      protect
      the
      interest
      of
      all
     
     
      Western
      governments
      in
      the
      fight
      of
      the
     
     
      day
      against
      Communism.
     
    

    
     
      When
      Al-Qaeda
      attacked
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      in
      2002,
      and
      it
      was
      clear
     
     
      that
      the
      Taliban
      had
      provided
      aid
      and
     
     
      assistance,
      the
      American
      government
     
     
      had
      no
      choice
      but
      to
      go
      in
      and
      clean
      up
     
     
      the
      mess
      they
      had
      left
      behind
      years
     
     
      before.
      We,
      as
      allies
      of
      the
      United
      States,
     
     
      were
      and
      are
      duty
      bound
      to
      do
      our
      share
     
     
      to
      assist
      the
      Americans
      who
      found
     
     
      themselves
      in
      this
      mess
      because
      of
      a
     
     
      policy
      of
      protecting
      the
      interests
      of
      the
     
     
      West
      in
      general
      against
      the
      Soviets
      in
     
     
      the
      cold
      war.
      This
      says
      nothing
      of
      our
     
     
      responsibility
      to
      NATO
      and
      the
      United
     
     
      Nations,
      both
      of
      whom
      support
      the
     
     
      United
      States
      mission
      in
      Afghanistan.
     
    

    
     
      OF
      course,
      that,
      leaves
      the
     
     
      arguments
      against
      the
      deployment.
     
     
      Oddly
      enough,
      it
      is
      similar
      to
      the
     
     
      argument
      for.
      It
      can
      be
      argued
      that
      the
     
     
      Americans
      made
      the
      mess
      in
      Afghanistan
     
     
      that
      allowed
      the
      Taliban
      to
      gain
      control
     
     
      and
      in
      turn
      support
      Al-Qaeda
      against
      the
     
     
      United
      States.
      By
      this
      simple
      logic,
      we
     
     
      can
      look
      at
      it
      as
      “it’s
      your
      mess,
      you
      clean
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it
      up”.
      Clearly
      this
      has
      some
      validity
      too,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      especially
      if
      you
      don’t
      buy
      into
      the
     
     
      argument
      that
      they
      were
      working
      for
      our
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      ©
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
      t
     
    
   
   
    
     
      greater
      good
      too
      when
      they
      made
      the
     
     
      mess.
     
    

    
     
      So,
      given
      that,
      why
      should
      we
     
     
      send
      Canadians
      over
      there
      to
      risk
      their
     
     
      lives
      and
      die
      trying
      to
      clean
      up
      an
     
     
      American
      mess?
      We
      haven’t
      got
      the
     
     
      military
      resources
      to
      be
      fighting
      a
      war,
     
     
      we
      have
      a
      long
      history
      of
      being
     
     
      peacekeepers,
      not
      peacemakers,
      and
      we
     
     
      are
      wading
      hip
      deep
      into
      someone
      else’s
     
     
      fight.
      So
      far
      11
      Canadians
      have
      died
      over
     
     
      there
      trying
      to
      help
      a
      group
      of
      people
     
     
      who
      don’t
      really
      want
      our
      help
      in
      the
      first
     
     
      place.
      This
      past
      weekend,
      some
      crazy
     
     
      guy
      in
      a
      village
      decided
      to
      attack
      a
     
     
      Canadian
      soldier
      with
      an
      axe.
      We’re
     
     
      fighting
      a
      war
      with
      the
      kind
      of
      people
     
     
      who
      would
      resort
      to
      anything
      at
      all
      to
     
     
      kill
      or
      maim
      us.
      Really
      now,
      who
      brings
     
     
      an
      axe
      to
      a
      gunfight?
      These
      people
      are
     
     
      more
      than
      willing
      to
      die
      in
      their
      fight...
     
     
      I
      would
      suggest
      that
      we
      Canadians
      don’t
     
     
      hold
      the
      same
      goal
      for
      our
      soldiers,
      and,
     
     
      by
      all
      accounts
      that’s
      just
      what
      is
      going
     
     
      to
      happen
      to
      them.
      Retired
      General
     
     
      Lewis
      MacKenzie
      and
      Chief
      of
      Defense
     
     
      Staff
      ,
      General
      Rick
      Hillier
      have
      both
     
     
      come
      out
      in
      the
      media
      and
      told
      us
      to
     
     
      expect
      casualties
      on
      several
      occasions.
     
     
      If
      they
      are
      saying
      this,
      is
      there
      any
      reason
     
     
      we
      should
      be
      surprised
      when
      we
      see
     
     
      more
      pictures
      of
      cold
      steel
      caskets
     
     
      draped
      in
      the
      Canadian
      flag?
      I
      think
      not.
     
    

    
     
      I
      have
      only
      touched
      the
      surface
     
     
      of
      the
      arguments
      here,
      and
      they
      run
      very
     
     
      deeply
      on
      either
      side,
      but
      I
      hope
      that
     
     
      you'll
      take
      the
      time
      to
      look
      into
      it,
      and
     
     
      decide
      how
      you
      feel
      personally
      about
      the
     
     
      situation.
      Don’t
      be
      swayed
      by
      someone
     
     
      else’s
      argument...
      form
      your
      own
     
     
      opinion
      and
      be
      prepared
      to
      back
      it
      up.
     
     
      That’s
      the
      basis
      of
      some
      of
      our
      greatest
     
     
      freedoms
      here
      in
      Canada
      and
      above
      all
     
     
      our
      soldiers
      stand
      for
      the
      preservation
     
     
      of
      those
      very
      freedoms.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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