First The Tragedy, Then The Farce

Other analysts have reached the conclusion that the insurgents are learning and adapting to situations much better than the allies. From all appearances it seems evident that the invasion of Iraq has proven to be a great catalyst for spreading the influence of radical Islamists throughout the region. Whether this was the intended outcome or not is a good question. It certainly runs counter to the stated purposes of the war but, on the other hand, as long as the war continues either in Iraq or in one place or another, there are fortunes to be made from providing the supplies and support to keep it going. There are also political advantages if one can use fear tactics and support-the-troops chest-beating effectively to control public opinion. The same applies to the situation in Afghanistan, which after all is really just another facet of the war in Iraq, and which has at least the same potential to suck up lives as the Iraq theatre is doing. Last Monday, Prime Minister Harper used the occasion of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist incidents in New York and Washington to twist history and justify deployment of Canadians to Afghanistan. His separation from reality reminds one of George Bush. He actually blamed the Taliban for the September 2001 attacks. Now the Taliban, who are rather conservative and right-wing like Mr. Harper, are not very decent fellows unless one is a religious fanatic, but pinning 9/11 on them is a bit of a stretch, even for Mr. Harper. This would be the Taliban who had their hands full governing one of poorest nations in the world — a nation full of warlords and drug dealers who were an ever present threat to Taliban power. The Taliban, as bad as they might have been and might still be, hardly fit the category of international threat. In fact, these same Taliban offered to give up Osama Bin Laden if proof could be provided that he was involved in the 9/11 attacks. A really good question is why wasn't that offer pursued instead of the implementation by the U.S. of the doctrine of pre-emptive warfare and the massive invasion of the country? Most Canadians, it seems, are smarter than their Prime Minister. In a recent poll that asked questions around the September attacks, 53 per cent placed the blame right where it belongs: on U.S. foreign policy. Fewer than 40 per cent bought into the propaganda about their being an attack on all western style democracies. If Mr. Harper thinks that the war in Afghanistan is about terrorism he is deluding himself, if he doesn't then he is trying to delude the public. http://www.rabble.ca/politics.shtml?sh_itm=4c9667cd77bb434dc08ef254149e9bb4&rXn=1&;

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