The United States has left the rest of the world in an impossible position. On the one hand, no country that didn't sign up for the war should be now enabling their pointless and stupid imperialist aggression. On the other hand, the citizens of Iraq have paid and paid and paid already for US and British foreign policy that was selfish, ill-thought-out, or aimless adventurism. So when Colin Powell asks the world to lend a hand, I'm torn:
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday specifically asked Britain, France, Germany and Russia to support a United Nations resolution that calls for a multinational force in Iraq, but with the U.S. firmly in control of the tiller.[Italics mine]Maybe not so impossible... that makes it easier to decide.
Okay, here's the deal, America. Admit that the invasion was a mistake, admit that the deaths of hundreds of American troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians met no legitimate foreign policy objective, and accept responsibility for that error, starting with resignations. The President, the Secretary of State, and anyone who loudly advocated for the invasion in the first place... those would be a good start. How many jobs are three hundred young American men and women worth? How many more for the over ten thousand Iraqi soldiers, and over six thousand civilians? (Going by the September 11 calculation, zero firings to three-thousand odd dead converts to zero:infinity, no matter how high the numbers get in Iraq, but never mind).
Until you're willing to admit your error, the only term we could use to describe Canadian contributions to your efforts in Iraq is "enabling". Once you admit you have a problem, America, hey, we're here for you.
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