Why Canada Must Go To Iraq
by Thomas Park on March 21, 2007 in Opinion
Iraq is in turmoil. The dream of the war’s architects has come to a halt as daily explosions rock major Iraqi cities. In lieu of a democracy, a chaotic society of Hobbesian proportions has begun to take root, with one study concluding that more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since 2003. Major coalition members such as Britain and Italy have begun to consider apullout of their troops. The surge has begun but the prospects of success are uncertain. Even ardent backers of the war, such as Francis Fukuyama and Fareed Zakaria, have retracted their support and called the occupation of Iraq a complete failure.Nevertheless, the deteriorating situation in Iraq makes it more urgent for countries like Canada to become involved. As the world’s honest broker, Canada is ideally suited to lead an international effort to stem the chaos in Iraq. Indeed, Canada’s continued neutrality departs from past Canadian foreign policy practice and runs counter to the country’s values.Unlike Americans who rally under the slogan of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Canadians, Michael Ignatieff once argued, are grounded in the principle of “peace, order and good government,” or POGG as it is commonly known. In a 2004 lecture at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignatieff pointed out that POGG is enshrined in the country’s constitution and has been a consistent theme in Canadian public policy since the country’s founding. Nor have Canadians applied the principle solely to domestic matters, Ignatieff argues - POGG has been the basis of Canadian foreign policy since the administration of former Prime Minister and Nobel Peace laureate Lester B. Pearson. Because Canadians have an affinity for resolving disputes as well as ensuring the physical security of civilians, Ignatieff claims that we should continue to apply POGG as a foundational principle in our foreign policy. The historical record has borne Ignatieff out.Canadians served with distinction in Bosnia, Haiti and Afghanistan. Canadian troops remained in Rwanda under the heroic leadership of Romeo Dallaire, saving tens of thousands of Rwandans who would have died otherwise. And Canada did not require a U.N. Security Council resolution to help stop Milosevic’s genocidal campaign in Kosovo. Indeed, despite itsopposition to the Vietnam War, Canada deployed much needed peacekeepers to implement the Paris Peace Accords andprovided a safe haven for thousands of Vietnamese refugees whose descendants have become valued members of ourcommunity. In each of these instances, Canadians never considered the ideological content of its would-be allies but, after sober and rational thought, placed the welfare of the victims as their central concern. The principles of POGG infused our foreign policy and we sought to make it a reality for the most disaffected parts of the world. We should do so again in Iraq.Canadians are overwhelmingly opposed to the current occupation of Iraq, and for valid reasons. The most oft cited is that Canada’s involvement would legitimize Bush’s neo-conservative agenda. No American president in living memory has had such an aggravating effect on the Canadian people. And so, many Canadians see the current quagmire in Iraq as Bush’s comeuppance for an arrogant foreign policy gone awry.Regardless, such justification for inaction in the face of massive human suffering is no basis for a foreign policy, especially Canada’s. As millions of Iraqis are denied the peace, order and good government that Canadians take for granted every day, our foreign policy vis-à-vis Iraq must place the welfare of the Iraqi people as its central concern, not the ideological orientation of the American president.There are many ways for Canada to bring POGG to Iraq. While the deployment of Canadian troops may not be possible given our commitment in Afghanistan and a possible deployment to Darfur, military resources are not the only form of assistance. Canada can provide expertise on constitutional issues in multi-ethnic societies, such as what the Forum of Federations provides in Sri Lanka; advising on police reform as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police continues to do in Haiti; and establishing disarmament programs inspired by the work of General de Chastelain in Northern Ireland. Canada can leverage its reputation as an honest broker in the world to lead a worldwide effort to rally the international community to act with greater vigor in Iraq. The question is not one of capabilities or talents; it is a question of political will.With Iraq withering under constant insurgent attacks, the Iraqi people need Canada to be a leader in this worsening humanitarian crisis. What Iraq needs right now is not life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness, but peace, order and good government. Canada can give it to them.
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