Despite the polls currently showing majority support for Canada’s joining in the war against ISIS, the Prime Minister may find that its enthusiasm for such futile adventurism is short-lived. Perhaps, after the next election, Mr. Harper will find that he has some time for that long-deferred fishing trip? H/t The
Continue readingTag: ISIS
The Canadian Progressive: Elizabeth May Responds To Harper’s Iraq War Motion
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May agrees with Harper that “Canada cannot stand on the sidelines,” but warns that “bombings have never ended an Islamic or any religious extremist terrorist threat.” The post Elizabeth May Responds To Harper’s Iraq War Motion appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Steve, I Don’t Know How to Tell You This. Bombing Isn’t Working.
That didn’t take long. Iraqi Kurds report that ISIS has changed tactics to blunt the impact of allied air strikes. Who, aside from just about anybody, could have foreseen that turn of events? Air strikes against Isis targets in northern Syria have failed to stop the militants from advancing towards
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Justin, Tommy – Here’s Your Talking Points
Look, if you can’t nail Harper on this ISIS business, you’re not fit to govern anything much less our country. What you need to do is pry the lid off ISIS. Show Canadians what lies beneath, who stands behind. Start with the notion that this seemingly well-organized, well-trained, well-equipped and
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The Closer You Look …
The closer one looks at the ISIS thing, the more it starts looking like a sectarian war in the Middle East. Yesterday in the Globe and Mail, Robert Fowler very nicely articulated the problem with short term solutions to the mess in Iraq, and today I spotted a really interesting
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Penetrating The Fog Of War
Yesterday, in response to a picture I posted quoting Herman Goering on the ease with which people can be manipulated into war, Scotian, a frequent commentator, responded to the picture, offering his analysis of the Canadian reaction to ISIS. I offer you his comments, always insightful, for your consideration: Sadly,
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Harper Speech Announces Canada’s Air Strikes Against ISIS
Here’s an unedited text of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s speech in the House of Commons on Friday, announcing Canada’s air strikes against ISIS in Iraq. The post Harper Speech Announces Canada’s Air Strikes Against ISIS appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Why Canada is going to war in Iraq: From Harper’s Mouth
I recently wrote a post about the motivations for middle powers like Canada to join international coalitions for wars such as the recent war in Iraq. Now that we have seen Harper official justification for the war to Parliament, it is worth noting how closely what I said tacked with
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Why Canada is going to war in Iraq: From Harper’s Mouth
I recently wrote a post about the motivations for middle powers like Canada to join international coalitions for wars such as the recent war in Iraq. Now that we have seen Harper official justification for the war to Parliament, it is worth noting how closely what I said tacked with
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Why Canada is going to war in Iraq: From Harper’s Mouth
I recently wrote a post about the motivations for middle powers like Canada to join international coalitions for wars such as the recent war in Iraq. Now that we have seen Harper official justification for the war to Parliament, it is worth noting how …
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Funny How We Choose Who We’ll Fight and Who We’ll Ignore
ISIS is known for atrocity. They’re murderous swine, real butchers. But, as CBC’s Neil Macdonald reminds us there’s a world full of their type, real pros, and we don’t give a damn. Back in July, Barack Obama signed an executive order punishing anyone responsible for some of the hideous excesses of the
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Why Not Bomb ISIS?
Nine planes for six months; no ground fighting. Why not? As a matter of history, many things went wrong with the Arab Spring, but the nature of The West’s commitment: providing air-support for indigenous resistance movements (I’m thinking of Libya specifically) was not one of those things. So it might
Continue readingLeft Over: The US Declares Permanent War in Arab Winter
How ISIS and Syria drove a stake through the Arab Spring The rise of ISIS is a setback for reform in a region that is crying out for it By Nahlah Ayed, CBC News Posted: Oct 03, 2014 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 03, 2014 5:00 AM ET The fact
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: About That War Thing
I am dismayed over the general collective amnesia that has once more taken hold of political leaders and the public over the latest so-called world threat. In the solution being embraced, few seem to remember the abject failure of past incursions in the Middle East, incursions that only gravely exacerbated
Continue readingWho is "part of the problem," Mr. Cameron?
Recently British PM David Cameron, even while encouraging Iran to help deal with ISIS, couldn’t resist taking a shot at the country. In his UN speech, he stated superciliously that Iran can be “part of the solution, not part of the problem.” Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, took umbrage, declaring the
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: War Is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
I am a great admirer of George Orwell, the man whose quote has provided the title of this post. The first and last part of it are, sadly, greatly applicable to the situation we now find ourselves facing. Since the 1950s, the Western World has found itself clenched in the
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: War Is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
I am a great admirer of George Orwell, the man whose quote has provided the title of this post. The first and last part of it are, sadly, greatly applicable to the situation we now find ourselves facing.Since the 1950s, the Western World has found itse…
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: War Is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
I am a great admirer of George Orwell, the man whose quote has provided the title of this post. The first and last part of it are, sadly, greatly applicable to the situation we now find ourselves facing. Since the 1950s, the Western World has found itself clenched in the
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: ISIS Threat: Let’s Refuse to Be Scared
I recommend that you read this timely analysis from Crawford Kilian as published in the Tyee Canada’s response in Iraq will be ‘noble,’ Harper says. What should that mean? By Crawford Kilian Yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned of a “terrorist caliphate” threatening Iraqi minorities with genocide, and said that
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: So, We’re Going To War…
It comes as no surprise that Harper is all hot and bothered about jumping into the quagmire that is the Middle East. He wanted to commit Canada to invading Iraq back when Shrub and his gang of morons were gearing up to invade in 2003. Canadians should be more than
Continue reading