A alternative role for Canada in Syria and Iraq

[HughTrenchard]

What should Canada's role be in fighting terrorism and ISIS in Iraq and Syria? I suggest that Canada's role should not be a military one, and we need to think creatively about how to effect change in the middle east without contributing to the perpetual cycle of violence that military action invites and contributes to.

I suggest Canada's role could be focused on fostering bottom-up internal change within those nations. One means to foster this sort of internal change is to advocate international oversight of judicial reforms that will help to stem the proliferation of local and regional violence.

It is apparent that the justice system is broken in Iraq:

https://www.hrw.org/ne…/2013/…/31/iraq-broken-justice-system

and corrupt in Syria:

http://www

.daoonline.info/…/BACCI%20-%20The%20System%20Of%2…

If we want to "fight ISIS" our efforts are better spent in bottom-up development of internal systems of justice. This is obviously a complex and expensive problem. However, given: 1. the billions that are allocated to bombing campaigns and military responses that seem only to generate more resentment and violence; and 2. the billions that are invested in humanitarian and medical aid that are obviously necessary, but yet short term with little affect on fundamental societal issues that include distrust and disaffection at many levels, I am suggesting a creative alternative with long term implications for change in the region.

Let Canada be part of a dialogue on justice reforms in Syria and Iraq, and coordinate an international review of how justice reforms can be encouraged and in some cases imposed if necessary (rather than imposing bombs!). Canada can play a role in promoting international cooperation to improve systems of justice in those countries while reducing the need for direct military intervention.

[Michael Hardner]

Maybe for other nations, but that areas is at war.

Please note that your links are broken: you can hit edit and paste the links into the post at bottom if you have trouble with the 'link' button in the editor.

[Keepitsimple]

Although our current government would like us to think otherwise, Canada can do more than one thing at the same time. We can do our small part in the aerial campaign, we can provide training on the ground, and we can provide many flavours of humanitarian aid - like helping to build, maintain and finance refugee camps. As for building justice and other institutions in Iraq and Syria, don't forget that they both had relatively modern institutions - just the wrong type of governance. The educated population understands the concept of democracy and proper institutions - they just need a peaceful environment to allow it to re-develop. These countries are not like Afghanistan.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Keepitsimple

[Moonlight Graham]

Canada should do absolutely nothing to fight ISIS in Iraq or Syria. Not one single penny spent, not one soldier facing harm. ISIS would not exist and would not be fighting in Iraq and Syria if the US (and UK) had not created the power vacuum and Sunni disenfranchisement created from their idiotic Iraq War. ISIS is a part of the continuing Iraq War, and Canada should not have joined the war (thanks Harper for signing us up!). America broke it, America can fix it.

Canada being in Iraq/Syria makes Canada less safe, not safer. The 3 soldiers who died last year in Ottawa and Quebec from the terror attacks would not have been attacked if Harper's gov had not voted to launch airstrikes on ISIS a few weeks earlier. The Harper gov has to live with that reality, and that they're partly culpable for those deaths.

If we want to be involved, it should be for humanitarian reasons only. But even that should be mainly at the cost of the USA and UK.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Moonlight Graham

[TimG]

ISIS would not exist and would not be fighting in Iraq and Syria if the US (and UK) had not created the power vacuum and Sunni disenfranchisement created from their idiotic Iraq War.

Two can play at the hypothetical history game: it is simply not credible to claim that Saddam and the Sunni minority would have kept control of the majority Shite Iraq forever. It would have eventually collapsed like Syria is collapsing and we would seen the same civil war with the same players but with different names. Edited December 13, 2015 by TimG

[Big Guy]

We may come up with many different hypothetical alternatives depending on your attitude towards this region. The only thing that can be proven is the results of what the West has done oin the rgion and the reaction of the inhabitants. I cannot see a much worse scenerio than what has transpired. It was a mistake going into Iraq, it was a mistake to go into Afghanistan, Libya, Syria et al.

It is a mistake to try to stay there.

JT - Save a few Canadian lives and $billions of Canadian taxpayer money - get out planes and troops out of there and keep them out of there until their civil wars have run their course.

[bush_cheney2004]

...America broke it, America can fix it.

Actually, Canada helped to strangle and destabilize both Iraq and Syria going all the way back to PM Mulroney. Nice try....

[Moonlight Graham]

Two can play at the hypothetical history game: it is simply not credible to claim that Saddam and the Sunni minority would have kept control of the majority Shite Iraq forever. It would have eventually collapsed like Syria is collapsing and we would seen the same civil war with the same players but with different names.

ISIS and the Iraq War aren't hypothetical. It has happened, we weren't responsible, in fact we refused to be, and yet a year ago we decided we wanted to spend our money and risk blood (at least 3 soldiers dead on Canadian soil so far) to join up like a bunch of morons to fix something we didn't break. Harper was a fool to join, and Trudeau is a fool to promise "training rebel groups" (something that has also thus far proven an epic waste of time and money by those who have done so).

[eyeball]

Two can play at the hypothetical history game: it is simply not credible to claim that Saddam and the Sunni minority would have kept control of the majority Shite Iraq forever. It would have eventually collapsed like Syria is collapsing and we would seen the same civil war with the same players but with different names.

The time to worry about this was back when we decided to do things like draw their maps and who should rule them. The time to pay for that fundamental cock-up is, well...just look around you.

You think you're pissed now, just wait until the reparations bill for all this comes due.