Canada's decision not to join the war in Iraq (essay)

[54/102 CEF]

Tomahawk,

How is Canada's sitting out of Iraq any less traitorous than the US sitting out of WW2 until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour?

Lets not sell USA short here - its well known that US was not politically ready pre-1941 - but industrially it provided a materiel pipeline which was pressurised by UK and FRENCH money to produce the aircraft for a start that went on to expand to the full war industry.

And it wasn`t a money grab - name the coalition partners that have bailed out less fortunate nations for free - anywhere in the past. Anyone?

 

[GO!!!]

My argument here would to be to draw a paralell between pre - Pearl Harbour US and present day Canada. Your allies are at war, but your nation itself has not been attacked, leading to an apathy on the part of the electorate, and a "wait and see" attitude in the capitals.

WHEN Canada suffers a major terrorist event, and make no mistake, I am sure it is coming, Canada will take a more active role in TWAT (The War Against Terror). I expect that this will concentrate on domestic measures though, with a token commitment to US - led missions elsewhere.

 

[GO!!!]

Canadian Foreign and Defence Policy, from the University of Manitoba

Cheers

 

[Cloud Cover]

Two the US was not part of an alliance. Canada was part of the Commonwealth which obligated it to help the UK.

If you are speaking of WW2, it is not true that Canada entered the war merely on the basis of it's membership in the commonwealth. I'm not sure where that particular notion is propoagated from, but in 1939 the Canadian Parliament elected to go to war as the result of a near unaminmous vote. It is not true that that it would be natural Canada to simply follow orders from Downing street, and it is certainly not true that Canada was somehow bound by some sort of commonwelath treaty.  

That little technicality aside, for practical reasons it would have been unthinkable that Canada wouldn't roll up sleeves and  pick up a rifle. Is there some reason to think that the USA was ready to rise to that level at the time?

 

[Glorified Ape]

However, I think he wanted to show his independence and solidarity with France. My problem is that if allies can pick and chose their fights the alliance isnt worth much. If during WW2 Canada had decided to sit it out, Britian would have felt betrayed. I think an ally has to sign on politically but are free to decide their military participation in any particular enterprise.

So the US would sign-on politically if Canada decided to invade Denmark? I doubt it, but I wouldn't characterize that as proof of "the alliance not being worth much". I wouldn't sign-on morally with my buddy if he's clobbering someone and I didn't think it was right - to do so would be the ultimate in pathetic kow-towing and moral hypocrisy. Alliances aren't all-or-nothing, especially since the constituent countries' stances on issues vary substantially. Is the US' alliance with Canada more valuable than its alliance with Denmark vis a vis the war in Iraq? It would have to pick a side but if it picked Denmark's (as I hope it would, given the lack of impetus for Canada to attack the Danish) I certainly wouldn't consider that a "betrayal" given the circumstances.

Had France joined the coalition would Chretien have supported the invasion of Iraq ? I think he would have.

I doubt that greatly. If the UN had signed on, I believe he would have supported it. Canada made its position on the war quite clear from Day 1 and I can't see any reason to believe Chretien's decision on something as important as whether or not to take the nation to war would hinge on, of all countries, France.

Maybe the whole "71% of Canadians back Chretien's decision" thing might have something to do with it. Or the poll results that only 40% of Canadians supported military action as of December of that year. Or maybe it was the shoddy evidence the US was putting out to support the war. Or the UN's refusal to back it, given Canada's seemingly fanatical devotion to the UN. Or Canada's reluctance to get engaged in Iraq when it was already neck-deep in Afghanistan. When one considers those factors, what France is or isn't doing amounts to about as much as a drop of piss in the ocean. Pardon my French.  ;D