This one is a bit of a tough call for me.
Canada is a democratic nation. If we don't like our leaders, we have the power change them in the next election. The people have made their decision, and we need to support our leaders while they are in power, after all, we put them there.
Here's a question: how much of the whole truth do we really know? The way I see it, there is 1 of 3 possibilities with this war:
1. Saddam is just as evil as everyone thinks, and must be stopped for the greater good of the world. His people do not have the power to overthrow him, and a third party is required to remove him from power.
2. The US has information regarding planned atacks against itself or its allies, and is doing its best to prevent them. After all, no one wants to see another September 11th, and the economy might not be able to take further hits.
3. Their is an alterior motive to the war, something that we may not even be aware of. The war may even be a diversion of sorts, or simply the US flexing its political muscle.
I certainly hope that the media knows what they're talking about, as we're getting bombarded by scenario #1. I just hope this is the WHOLE truth, but I know that's probably asking too much of our media.
It's unfortunate that it's come to this, but by all accounts we're not dealing with a reasonable enemy. War has never been reasonable. It's brutal, it's catastrophic, but unfortunately sometimes it IS necessary. The US is in the unenviable position of being a) capable, and b) willing to do something about Saddam, and clearly something must be done.
I am not in a position to decide whether or not the US (or Canada for that matter) should go to war. That is not my responsibility, and as such I don't know all the facts. Call me naive, but that is why we elect our leaders. They are given the whole story, and they make decisions to guide the actions of our nations. I think it's rediculous that people are questioning these decisions when they only know part of the story.
Just to further the Canada-US debate, I don't think that there will be any political problems between the two countries. Canada still has 11 ships in the Middle East fighting the war on terrorism, and if needed they would be there to back up the US on a moment's notice. As stated above, Canada has sent in an elite Special Forces unit to aid where it's needed. Do you really think that Canada would reject a US plea for help in this war? Just because we aren't on the front lines at the start of the war doesn't mean we're out for good, we're just not in a position to contribute enough at this point to make it worthwhile.
Let me reiterate my stance on the war: it's unfortunate that it's come to this, but we must put faith in our leaders and trust they are doing the right thing, as we are responsible for electing them into positions to make these decisions.
I just hope we're doing the right thing.
