Peacekeeping for Dummies
Uncategorized Comments (0)
By Paul Harris
YellowTimes.org Columnist (Canada)
Recently Lorrie Goldstein, editor of the Toronto Sun, wrote an editorial entitled, “Peacekeeping myth trashed,” and was intended to point out that for all Canada has portrayed itself as a nation of peacekeepers, we are actually deluding everyone. According to Mr. Goldstein, the leading nation in the world for peacekeeping is Bangladesh.
Canada has a long history of peacekeeping activities. Indeed, the concept was practically invented by one of our former prime ministers, Lester Pearson, during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Mr. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Although Canada has contributed mightily to previous war efforts (World Wars I & II and Korea) in numbers far out of proportion to our population, we assumed the role of peacekeeping from Suez onward. We participated, through the United Nations, in every major peacekeeping initiative since 1956. Our contributions in the two world wars are often overlooked because of the braggadocio of the Americans but many Europeans will tell you of the value of Canadians and will tell you of the Canadian graves in Europe; to this day, the people of several European countries still welcome Canadian veterans returning to the scene of their memories with parades and gratitude.
But after 1956, we came to the realization that we would serve the world far better by acting as the merchants of peace. That, moreover, is exactly what we have tried to do.
What has galled Mr. Goldstein, though, is the mendacity of our Liberal government. In 1993, the Liberals came to power after nine horrid years of Progressive Conservative (yes, that is an oxymoron) leadership. In their campaign, the Liberals produced a document known as the Red Book (not the same as Chairman Mao's) and one of the promises made in that book was that “a Liberal government will strengthen Canada's leadership role in international peacekeeping.” Well, they still talk about it — a lot — but the fact is that Canada's military has been decimated under the Liberals' watch. Military spending has decreased; we have had to send inadequate numbers of personnel where we have participated; our military is woefully under-equipped, underpaid, understaffed, demoralized. It's hard to reconcile that with the promise of the Red Book.
Mr. Goldstein, however, looks to simple numbers as proof that we actually are not the nation of peacekeepers that we claim to be. He points out that of 39,100 United Nations peacekeepers stationed at various places around the world right now, only 262 of them are Canadian. He compares that to 4,229 personnel from Bangladesh and a slightly smaller number from Pakistan. In fact, he provides figures to show that there are thirty countries with a higher number of active peacekeepers than Canada.
The federal government, in the person of our Minister of Defense, John McCallum, says these numbers are simply wrong. He says we actually have 2,486 military personnel abroad which would put us fourth on the list, rather than thirty-first. He also points out that we pay our own way while the developing nations, many of whom are ahead of us on Mr. Goldstein's list, contribute troops because the United Nations pays them. He further states that Canada maintains its commitment to peace and peacekeeping and that we still pull our weight.
No matter who is right or how you slice these apples, Mr. Goldstein is correct that military spending has decreased markedly and that our international contributions to peacekeeping have also reduced (we had about 5,000 troops abroad in 1993 when the Liberals took office).
Where Mr. Goldstein goes wrong, however, is in his implication that Canada has turned its back on peacekeeping. While there is no question that the Liberal government has allowed our military to decay, it remains the belief of most Canadians, including most of those buffoons in Ottawa, that peacekeeping is our proper role. We are not aggressors, we are pacifist by nature, and even though our closest ally is precisely the opposite, we still see our role in the world as serving the needs of peace.
Mr. Goldstein quotes Canada's most famous peacekeeper of modern times, Maj.-General Lewis MacKenzie, who served on nine separate peacekeeping missions in some pretty dangerous places, in regard to what needs to be done. According to Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie: “I accuse the government of pushing this 'we're a peacekeeping nation' idea, because in the minds of the public, you don't have to spend as much on a military that are (sic) a bunch of peacekeepers.”
I do not suggest that Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie may have some bias because he is a failed candidate from our last federal election (and not for the Liberals) because I think he is honest and that his opinion is sensible. He suggests that what Canada needs is a group of three, relatively small, self-contained commando-style brigades of about 4,000 personnel, each of which are capable of reacting quickly to any global crisis, getting themselves there, supporting themselves while there, and getting out. Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie is quick to point out that there is nothing easy about peacekeeping; it is dangerous, very dangerous. In war, you face your enemy; in peacekeeping, you're in between at least two enemies who both need to get through you to get at each other.
I can certainly support Mr. Goldstein's cry for increased military funding. But in my view, that funding should go to something like the brigades suggested by Maj.-Gen. MacKenzie. Although he doesn't say so in this editorial, Mr. Goldstein would far prefer that military spending be increased so we could push our way around the world like our friendly neighbors to the south, or at least to help them do so. Most Canadians would give a polite “no thanks” to that idea.
[Paul Harris is self-employed as a consultant providing businesses with the tools and expertise to reintegrate their sick or injured employees into the workplace. Canadian businesses can reach him at paul@working-solutions.ca. He has traveled extensively in what is usually known as "the Third World" and has an abiding interest in history, social justice, morality and, well, just about everything. Paul is also a freelance writer and can be reached at paul@escritoire.ca. He lives in Canada.]
Paul Harris encourages your comments: pharris@YellowTimes.org
YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.
@ July 30, 2003