ck sent me a link this weekend, to a CTV story of a mother of a Canadian soldier speaking out against the war. Against War in general. She was eloquent and passionate, as you might expect of a woman who, having grown up with the Vietnam war, immigrated to Canada to provide a better life for her children, to face the irony of her child’s participation in this war. Her name is Josie Forcadilla and her speech may be listened to here.
Then, I would like to direct you to the young Afghan/Canadian woman, Suraia Sahur and her compelling speech against the war in Afghanistan. Please watch here.
Of course, everyone must listen to Malalai Joya on the subject of the war we wage in her country. Here is a 2007 interview in Australia.
As the mother of a soldier who is currently training to volunteer in Kandahar, I have tried here at Sister Sage’s Musings to promote awareness among progressive Canadians that our role in the global geopolitical landscape has become that of enabler. We have allowed our policy of diplomacy and peacekeeping to fall by the wayside, in favour of the Corporate view of perpetual warfare as an economic stimulus package. Make no mistake, this is the worst form of socialism. Corporate Welfare.
I want to be clear that this is no way to support our troops (as the Tories PMO’s Talking Points so like to hide behind). Want to support our troops? Bring them home! As long as NATO (or any) military uniforms occupy any real estate in Afghanistan, they will be looked upon as invaders/oppressors/enemies and will have the effect of prolonging the struggle towards stability and democracy. If we wanted to promote democracy, we would withdraw our military, provide financial aid to carefully selected groups and follow that with material aid such as lumber for building schools and hospitals, seeds and technology and microlending and grants to women to provide food stability. That is a start. From there, as fundamental security issues ease, so will the tendency to join extremist organisations. The people of Afghanistan know what to do, they just want the opportunity.
If you are a mother, or a woman, or a person who believes in world peace, please feel free to add your comment below.
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The war in Afghanistan is being fought on so many fronts now it’s hard to keep up. First it’s being fought on the “We cannot waste the lives of those who have sacrificed the most” front. The argument is that if we pull out now, we have wasted the lives of 153 Canadian soldiers for nothing. But I say this argument is trying to rationalize a war which is, by it’s very existance, irrational. Another front is the “Democratize Afghanitan” front. While I know we have vaccinated, built schools and spread freedom, I think that the people of Afghanistan should be as much lauded for their persistance and struggle as any NATO forces. That they are able to push on while such insurmountable odds surround them points to an indominable spirit I think Canadians could learn from. Another front is the “National Interests” front. This front is perhaps the most incidious, as it propoes that the only way to fight terrorism abroad is to bring our own form of terror to the civilians of far off countries. Look how militancy and extremism has spread since we invaded Iraq an Afghanistan. True, we could not have done NOTHING after the 9/11 attacks, but we have failed so misserably as to add to the recruiting campaigns of terrorist organizations. Also, we have seen how successful their terror has been in the full body scans and patdowns by the TSA in the United States.
So, what do we do. Is pulling out unilaterally an option? Well, here’s my thing. We are in Afghanitan now and to me it makes little sense to just abandon the people, who I agree, probably don’t want us there anyways. As a progressive, I do want to help. The best way is to help develop agriculture using our technological abilities and help these people be self sufficient but also create a stable market economy. This will encourage people to engage in their economic productivity and move away from opium production. But opium production itself provides a source for freedom. There is a huge shortage of morphine and other drugs that are derived from Opium that Afghanistan could supply. So create a controlled crop. Personally, a plan Colombia will not work here, so we need to think up other market oriented solutions. And of course, most importantly, work to take our soldiers out of harms way so they can come home safe and sound. We have been here militarily for 9 years without any success. What makes us think four more is going to help?
I’d have a problem “abandoning the people” also if I believed for a moment that’s why we are there and that we’re actually helping the average Afghan. Our government doesn’t even give a damn about our own rights, it’s a pretty big stretch to think they care about the rights of Afghans. If they weren’t shutting down aid and boosting military involvement, if they weren’t just sucking up to the US, if they showed here at home that they support women’s rights, if they were making efforts at curbing poverty here, if they weren’t screwing over First Nations every chance they got…maybe I’d believe they are there for human rights in Afghanistan and that they are just a bunch of fuck-ups who can’t manage military action without destroying a country in the process.
But really, supporting Karzai? Pulling aid?
Time to bring the troops home. Harper has no intention of focusing on development or aid, there. If they are ever sent to face danger, it should not be as extra fodder for the Americans or anyone else.
Exactly.