Terry Glavin - Always Worth Reading

Check out Terry Glavin's site.

He raises a lot of the issues I am concerned about as well. There was a time when I was a good lefty, but the direction of the left in Canada too often is one that makes no sense to me at all.

Terry Glavin is involved with the Afghanistan - Canada Solidarity Committee. I am impressed with a lot of what they are doing and would consider joining them expect for one reason. My religious faith means I am a pacifist.

I am a pacifist and prefer a world that has no military and no armed conflict. But believe that if we are to have a military it should be being put to use to to improve the world, to support human rights and civil society. As far as I can tell, this is what is going in Afghanistan.

The NATO intervention in Afghanistan is the first time troops have come from outside of the country to help support human rights and democracy in a civil society. This is a fundamental first and an evolution in global thinking - the military has a place in helping nations build a better society.

Canada's involvement in Afghanistan is only the second time in our history where our military was clearly used against tyranny in defense of basic human rights. Most of the peacekeeping Canadian troops did was to maintain political status quos that were not beneficial to the world. Sitting between the Greeks and the Turks in Cyprus only allowed both sides to avoid talking to each other.

Imagine what would have happened in Bosnia if 100 000 NATO troops intervened early on? Instead Lewis Mackenzie had to sit back and watch the Serbs slaughter people.

If the western world has all these troops and military forces, why is not using more them to fight fascism and tyranny in the world?

It all leads back to my belief that you support the democracies and push the tyrannies to be ended. Why do we have diplomatic relations with the anti-semitic and tyrannically kleptocracy of Saudi Arabia? Why do we pretend that unelected and imposed dictators have any right to our respect or acknowledgment?

Why is no one party in the federal election willing to come out and say that Canada will change to a foreign policy where democracies are respected and the rest have change or see Canada's opposition to them at every turn. I would love to see a national party leader say that the UN should expel all countries that have not elected their governments in an open and democratic manner.

We can set the example by being first. If we are followed by Japan, the EU and Australia, the US will follow and then it will become the norm.

I would like to see a day in my life when all the nations of the world respect human rights and are democratic. I can not see how anyone could argue against this.