Let's declare war on Syria, shall we? Of course I am being facetious. Even though the Syrian government (essentially a dictatorship), is through its military engaged in a brutal and deadly crackdown on citizens who dare to question the authority of that government, we don't just start bombing sovereign nations.
Or do we? Not that far from Syria, in the North African nation of Libya, bombs from Nato planes, including those from Canada, are blasting government and military targets. We're told that the decades old regime of the miserable despot, Muammar Ghaddafi is hanging by a thread, in part because our nation and others entered the fray to support rebels or freedom fighters or whatever term we want to use.
I certainly feel that the cause of these freedom fighters in Libya is legitimate. What I don't understand is how our government makes the decision to go to war in Libya or anywhere else, a choice I feel as a Christian should always be a last resort. While it might appear unpatriotic to say so, I still am not sure why Canadians fought and died in Afghanistan. Even though we all admire and support our troops, I wonder how many Canadians could articulate our mission there over the last decade, or say with confidence "mission accomplished." And how did Libya take precedence over other situations in the world, including Syria? Why isn't an international military team making sure that food aid gets to the starving people of the Horn of Africa where humanitarian efforts are being blocked by Islamic extremists?
Help me out here folks. Any thoughts or observations on this one?
3 comments:
Very valid points, David. Over many years, I have had quite a few conversations with my Dad over world affairs, etc.
One by one, virtually all of his predictions have come eerily true. He predicted years ago that attacking Syria would be in the near future, and it appears he may be right. As someone who fought in Burma in WW2, my Dad is as anti-war as you can possibly get.
It does seem odd that we wage war on some countries, while other countries that are equally corrupt and downright committing atrocities against their own citizens, are off the radar.
I recommend reading Eric Margolis' books on the middle east. I know I've mentioned him before in this blog, but he offers up very thought provoking suggestions for peace in that neck of the woods - all of which do not include warfare.
God bless our troops....but I would rather see them come home.
I have spoken to many veterans through the years who, like your father, are deeply opposed to war. Maybe we should pay more attention to them instead of just honouring them on Remembrance Day.
War as a last resort?
That's not good business. The Americams want us to throw million dollar bombs at everyone they point the finger at. Then sell us more bombs.
I truely feel that it is big business that pushes these wars.
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