Sep 26 2006
Canadian Democracy in Better Shape than US
I just returned from a five day book tour on the East Coast of Canada with my partner and co-author, Jim Ingalls. We were there to promote our new book, “Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence.” Despite the fact that Canadian troops in Afghanistan number only 2,300 compared to the US’s 20,000, there is a far more vibrant nation-wide debate about the presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, compared to here in the US. Newspapers cover the issue daily, albeit inaccurately. And most polls show that Canadians are not in favor of having troops present. Much of the rhetoric to justify troops in Afghanistan is reminiscent of the same type of rhetoric of “liberation” that the Bush administration used after 9/11. There is talk of “Canada’s responsibility” to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, rather than doing the constructive work of peacekeeping which Afghanistan could conceivably benefit from, Canadian forces are agressively engaged in the same type of combat operations as the US. This essentially includes kicking down doors, rounding up villagers, shooting into crowds, etc, all in the name of “hunting terrorists.” Over the past five years, the US has amply illustrated that their “hunt-and-kill” tactics in Afghanistan have not reduced terrorism – they have only increased the violence. More and more ordinary Afghans are giving up on any goodwill toward the Western troops.
If Canada withdraws its 2,300 troops, it will make little practical difference on the ground. Afghans will still be killed mostly by US forces, and by the suicide bombs of the Taliban or neo-Taliban. But, politically, Canada’s withdrawal can signal a political blow to the Bush administration’s war in Afghanistan. Canadian MPs from the National Democratic Party have already called for a troop withdrawal. Meanwhile here in the US, Democratic Senator Kerry has simply called for an increase in US troops.
I don’t know about you but the Canadian discussion on Afghanistan is far more indicative of a thriving democracy than the near silence on this issue here in the US.
Click on the following links to download the audio of an event we did on Sunday November 24th in Halifax, Canada:
– Introduction by Stuart Neatby
– Talk by James Ingalls
– Talk by Sonali Kolhatkar
2 Responses to “Canadian Democracy in Better Shape than US”
Hi Sonali.
When I lived in LA, I listened to Uprising Radio almost every day. It is definitely one of the best programs on KPFK.
I often worry when I hear people on either side of the border making a simple, two-way comparison of our two countries and holding up Canada as the “good example”, whether it is Canadians making up for perceived lack in national identity via smugness or Americans reducing Canadian liberalism to a largely imagined rhetorical device a la Michael Moore. In this instance, though, you may be right, at least for the moment. Though we have less broad historical experience than the relevant sectors in the U.S. at turning anti-war sentiment into a full-blown peace movement, it is at least a place to start from.
Oh…and I just thought I’d inject a small correction: NDP actually stands for “New Democratic Party.”
Thanks again for Uprising…I look forward to reading your book!
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