I have been a little dismayed and disappointed recently at the left wing rhetoric concerning the Canadian forces in Afghanistan so, as is my typical response, I will add some rhetoric of my own to the discussion.
The Canadian contingent in Afghanistan is a part of a limited operation under the direction of NATO that is providing logistical and combat support to prevent the resurgence of the Taliban. Afghanistan is not Iraq and the Taliban are not an innocent, benevolent government guided by the tenants of Islam. They are murderers, criminals and individuals so filled with hate that they indiscriminately execute women, homosexuals, doctors, writers, journalists, scientists, and yes, lawyers. The Taliban represents the heart of radical militant Islam, and whatever you think of their gripes with Western society, their domination of politics in Afghanistan was characterized by horrific human rights violations and violence. Please, don't believe the tree-hugging, left wing hippies claiming that the Taliban is the legitimate government of that beleaguered country. If the NATO forces, including Canada, leave Afghanistan now, before they have eliminated any group's ability to wage war against the civilian population that country will sink back into a black hole that will produce the most dangerous ideology this world has ever known.
Listen, Canada has to take action in world politics. Afghanistan is not Iraq, and no matter what you think of how we got there, we are there now, and leaving prematurely condemns the free-thinking, the courageous and the defensless of that country to a fate worse then death: complete and total loss of control of life....and death. Nobody who has knowledge of what Afghanistan was like during the Taliban regime would ever support the troop pull-out that is being trumpeted by unaware hippies that live in comfortable middle class homes, practice yoga as a religion and recycle shopping bags to make sandals.
War is never good, and I believe it can never be righteous. But like it or not, in our civilization, military intervention is still necessary to protect the rights of undefended people. Yes, there are many other conflict regions in the world that we could respond to, but this is not an argument against intervention, this is an argument for intervention.
The Americans will have to deal with the consequences of their actions over the last three years and frankly so will the rest of us. Sandbagging the borders and hiding like cowards in our little corner of the globe helps no one and solves no problems. Stand up, defend our troops and their leadership. We have an opportunity to take a leading role in providing aid and protection for those peoples of the world that are unable to defend themselves against the tyrannies of religious radicals or power-hungry corporations. Don't be silent.
Want to know what happens when international security forces leave a conflict region prematurely? Ever heard of Rwanda? Check out http://www.whitepinepictures.com/dallairesite/
2 comments:
I agree with your position, but we ARE there. Leaving now is pretty much fucking them twice. If you got into a horrible car accident while driving someone else's car, would you just open your door, disclaim any responsiblity and walk home? Like it or not we now have responsiblities to these people, and frankly I don't mind that. I definately do not think we should force democracy, which I think is a dead concept anyway, but human security is something altogether different. Like it or not, things that happen on the opposite side of the planet, whether in a first or third world country affect us all, and therefore, I believe we have a responsiblity to particpate.
I wonder what you know about Islam, let alone the "heart of militant Islam."
The Taliban are adherents to the Deobandi strain of Islam. It's a regional movement that has little or no ideological relation to the philosophy of Syed Qutb or Abdullah Azzam (Google their names, you will learn a thing or three).
For all their failings, the rule of law was the one thing they did establish. Relative to the regimes before and after (yes, right now), they were far less "murderers, criminals and individuals so filled with hate..."
I know lawyers think they are know-it-alls about absolutely everything. Rant all you like, but try to use some facts to back it up.
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