"Out of Afghanistan, Into the Heart of Darkness?"/Agitprop
Conference of Defence Associations' media round-up.
Earlier on that heart:
Moreover, you can bet that our media would not spend much time in downtown equatorial Africa trying to dig up any dirt they can concerning any possible CF association with malfeasance on the part of foreign troops directly under them, or local forces with which they work. You can also bet that those oh-so-concerned and pure of heart Canadians such as Messrs Attaran, Staples, Byers (more here on Congo), Neve and the NDP won't make the slightest effort to look deep into a Canadian UN Congo mission.
THE ONLY REASON THEY HOWLED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN AFSTAN IS BECAUSE THEY OPPOSED THE KANDAHAR MISSION FROM THE START AND WANTED TO DO IT IN. On the other hand they love all things run by the UN (the fact that the NATO mission in Afstan has the full authorization of the UN Security Council isn't good enough for such types) and will give anything done by or linked to MONUC a free pass.
More from Mr Staples (at end of this link):
Earlier on that heart:
Bosnia-Hercegovina: One CF mission finally ends/New Congo one?Now that balloon is being blown up real good:
Canadian general leading candidate to run UN mission in CongoMore previously from Babbling on Lt.-Gen. Leslie:
Decision would not require major shift in military emphasis from Afghanistan to Congo
A Canadian general could soon be headed to Congo to lead the United Nations peacekeeping effort in the strife-torn African nation.
Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, who was replaced as head of the army last week while being given no new duties, is a leading candidate to head the 22,000-person United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC), if the UN and Canada agree that a Canadian officer should take overall command of the deployment.
But that command would not involve a major shift in military emphasis from Afghanistan to Congo. The total Canadian contingent would consist of only a few dozen, few of whom may be military.
“Canada is among the nations that have been asked by the UN secretariat to consider offering a candidate for the position of force commander for MONUC,” said Lisa Monette, a spokeswoman at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“We are currently analyzing this request, taking into account Canadian capacities.”
A decision is expected within one or two weeks.
The UN mission in Congo is the largest of the world body’s peacekeeping operations. It is also one of the least successful. Most of the troops are from third-world countries, such as Bangladesh and Egypt. Canada has never had more than a dozen people there. Despite an annual budget of $1.3-billion MONUC has had little success in quelling violence.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the poorest and most violent places on Earth, is racked with strife. MONUC recently reported that the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army massacred at least 290 people last December in northern Congo. Total fatalities through more than a decade of civil war could exceed five million.
The UN mission is scheduled to end soon, but neighbouring countries have urged that the mission be extended. President Joseph Kabila, however, has mused about sending the peacekeepers packing.
There have been gains in Congo in recent years, including a new constitution and democratic elections. But the mineral-rich nation remains riven by faction and outside influence, little of it benign.
Some observers believe that MONUC needs a commander from a developed nation with experience in counterinsurgency. Canada has just that experience, after its years in Afghanistan, and Lt.-Gen. Leslie, a three-star general at loose ends after a recent shakeup among the military’s senior ranks, may be just what the UN is looking for.
Although a convention has developed of requiring parliamentary approval for any troop deployment overseas, a contingent as small as the one contemplated for Congo could simply be dispatched by government order, if the Conservatives decide this is where Lt.-Gen. Leslie belongs.
...Besides my cavils about a Congo mission at the post noted near the start of this one, I would simply add: what would be the point of taking on command in terms of any real Canadian national interest? I cannot see one and I can see a lot of pitfalls (read Mr Ibbitson's piece above again). But maybe such a mission would impress a fair number of our greatest and goodest--see just past the middle here, plus more here--and maybe the government might hope to win votes in Québec by having the CF, with a non-combat role themselves, lead a UN mission in a francophone country.
Leslie leaves the CLS post and Devlin takes over. Leslie leaving is no surprise to me - I've been hearing rumblings since Natynczyk took over from Hillier, and Gauthier left CEFCOM. What's interesting is that, like Gauthier, they haven't announced what they're going to do with him. The scuttlebutt I've heard is that he's still interested in serving in uniform, but significant army LGen slots are rather scarce. I don't like situations like this where a senior officer is left in limbo - it reflects unfavourably on all involved. Leslie's an undeniably smart officer, but the last time I saw him, he came across as tired - not physically, but mentally and emotionally - and a little bitter. I hope he finds a position where his considerable talents can be of use, and he can find some energy and enthusiasm again. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. Having said all that, I've heard nothing but good things about Devlin...
Moreover, you can bet that our media would not spend much time in downtown equatorial Africa trying to dig up any dirt they can concerning any possible CF association with malfeasance on the part of foreign troops directly under them, or local forces with which they work. You can also bet that those oh-so-concerned and pure of heart Canadians such as Messrs Attaran, Staples, Byers (more here on Congo), Neve and the NDP won't make the slightest effort to look deep into a Canadian UN Congo mission.
THE ONLY REASON THEY HOWLED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN AFSTAN IS BECAUSE THEY OPPOSED THE KANDAHAR MISSION FROM THE START AND WANTED TO DO IT IN. On the other hand they love all things run by the UN (the fact that the NATO mission in Afstan has the full authorization of the UN Security Council isn't good enough for such types) and will give anything done by or linked to MONUC a free pass.
More from Mr Staples (at end of this link):
...St. Steve's real baby, Ceasefire.ca, is also hard at UN-mongering:
Canada’s defence: Give priority to the United Nations...
Make Canada a Proud Peacekeeper Once AgainOnce the world's top contributor of troops for UN Peacekeeping, Canada has fallen far down the list as the military has turned away from the UN.
Urge Prime Minister Harper, the political party leaders and your Member of Parliament to end Canada's war in Afghanistan, and to make Canada a proud UN Peacekeeeper once again.
842 letters have been sent so far
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 3:22 p.m.
3 Comments:
Wouldn't it be funny if someone changed the ENTIRE text of the letter in the box at the Ceasefire.ca site to say, oh, I don't know, something anathema to St. Steve and Co. before clicking "Submit"?
Just askin'....
Actually, I was going to be on with Staples yesterday in a debate about post-Afstan on CHCH, but I was too sick to make it. Would have been interesting to hear what he said because AFAIK he's not keen on a Congo mission.
Milnews, I did exactly what you proposed. Here's what I wrote. Do you think it will be read?
Text of letter:
I want our troops to remain in Afghanistan as long as the barbaric Taliban harbour Islamist terrorists who threaten Western civilization. However the rules of engagement must be radically changed to emphasize keeping our soldiers safe. Trying to make a tribal society into a modern democracy is a futile enterprise. It's not worth our soldier's lives.
The priority for Canadian foreign policy should be promoting our own interests and those of our allies. The United Nations is now a worthless enterprise dominated by despotic, misogynist states who despise equally both true free speech and the state of Israel - the only democracy in the Middle East. We should stop funding the UN immediately, and stop sending them our troops.
It's a waste of our military to try policing places like the Congo. For nations like this their only hope is in competent caretaker governments run along the same tough but fair lines as the colonial administrations which once made places like Zaire the breadbasket of Africa. The spectacular and violent incompetence of post-colonial Africa has made it a sinkhole for Western aid. Don't send them another dollar, or another soldier, until there's reason to believe it won't be thrown away.
Canad has a proud military history as a nation who will fight for freedom, as we did in both World Wars. I urge you not to neuter our military, or to forget what we fought for; true freedom of thought and speech. This ideal is increasingly under threat from the people who would foster a petition such as this.
The only way to make Canadians proud regarding the UN is to repudiate what it has now become; a corrupt bazaar of influence-peddling petty kleptocrats who specialize in exploiting the misplaced guilt of western nations for having developed the most humane and prosperous society the world has ever known.
Give our military whatever they need to ensure the security of ourselves and our allies.
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