The bigger questions

The Ruxted Group has two posts up dealing with the more profound questions surrounding Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, and both are essential reading.

The first is entitled "One Nation: Two Visions," and it deals with Canada's place in the world:

Canadians have been increasingly conflicted over our role in Afghanistan since our forces returned to Kandahar in 2005. Rather than a quiet, non-threatening traditional "peacekeeping" mission, some of which were, in reality, anything but, Canadians were suddenly treated to the sight of Canadian soldiers engaging in combat operations on a scale not publicly seen since the Korean War.

Canadians rapidly polarized into two camps: one determined to end the mission and Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan, and the other equally determined to forge ahead with implementing the United Nations resolution. Editorials have been written, speeches made and even public demonstrations have been mounted both for (Red Friday's being the most obvious) and against the mission (like the protest countermarch in Quebec City during the R22eR's parade.)

While the current mission in Afghanistan has sparked these outpourings, it is really exposing a much deeper fissure in Canada's body politic: What is our role in the community of nations? What is our vision of Canada in the World?

The dichotomy between the two visions as laid out by Ruxted is stark and clear, but it rings true to me.

The second piece bears the title "Doing Enough, The Canadian Way," and serves as a companion to the first, further exploring some of the themes raised there. Its concluding section is particularly compelling:

It’s time to stop looking towards either the USA or Europe for examples of how to conduct our foreign policy. Neither has much to teach us. Let’s consider our own values and our own ideas and ideals and shape our own policies. Let’s not be ‘anti’ anyone or anything. Let’s be ‘pro Canada’ and let’s do what’s right for Canada and the world.

Let’s stay in Afghanistan until the job is done – even if that means we’ll still be there after 2019.

Let’s expand our armed forces so that we are ready and able to go when, not if, the call comes to help in some other hell-hole.

Let’s tell soft-on-terror politicians, knee-jerk anti-American journalists and academics and anti-military busybodies to buzz off because they don’t represent Canada’s values.

Let’s stand up, square our shoulders and do enough, the Canadian way.

Hear, hear.