by Mason Krawczyk
In Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s declaration of war on ISIL, “the ISIL motion,” he claims that the Harper government’s goal in Iraq and Syria is to “protect the vulnerable and innocent civilians in the region.” If the Canadian government seriously wants to play a role in minimizing international violence and protecting civilians, there is a much simpler and more effective way: it should make its own diplomatic support and foreign policy more peaceful.
To start, the Canadian government could look to last summer and re-examine how the Harper government’s diplomacy has adversely affected the lives of civilians in other countries.
In the summer of 2014, Canada offered unwavering diplomatic support for Israel’s “Brother’s Keeper” and “Protective Edge” campaigns – military ventures predicated on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s knowingly false claim that Palestine’s government, Hamas, had kidnapped three Israeli teenagers. Even as Israel carried out countless bombings, ravaging Gaza, killing over 2,000 people (roughly 75 per cent of them civilians) and destroying hospitals, wells, generators, mosques, and even UN school shelters designated for women and children, the Harper government unflinchingly boasted its approval for Israeli force. As the U.S. government fed arms and ammunition to Israel, our government actively spoke out in support of Israel’s criminal behavior. The Harper government’s support not only allowed but encouraged Israel’s wanton violence and destruction in occupied Palestine.
The government could then look only a little further back to February 2014, when the Harper government entered into a $10-billion U.S. deal selling arms to Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most flagrant violators of human rights. Disregarding Saudi Arabia’s track record of jailed journalists, oppressed women, public beheadings, murder of queer individuals, and violently repressed pro-democracy movements, the Harper government still decided to enter into an unprecedented arms sale with the Saudi government knowing full well that these arms could and likely will be used against Saudi citizens .
If the Harper government had any truthful desire to minimize violence in the world, it could possibly look even farther back than political memory seems to allow and try to wrestle with how its systematic marginalization of its Indigenous people directly contributes to the over 1,000 Indigenous women currently missing and murdered in this country.
When the Harper government decides it would like to speak seriously about how their war against ISIL is fueled by humanitarian motives, it should first acknowledge its own contributions to international violence before entering into a “humanitarian war.”
If the Harper government intended to significantly reduce violence, it could put its considerable political clout behind some major policy changes. First, it could join the majority of the world’s countries who recognize Israel’s conduct in its illegal occupation of Palestine is inhumane and constitutes a violation of international law. This should happen before 2020 when, according to a UN report, Gaza is expected to become unlivable. Second, the Harper government should stop actively supporting dictatorships such as the one in Saudi Arabia which habitually violates internationally agreed-upon human rights conventions. Third, the Harper government should heed the advice of Amnesty International and make a concerted effort to relieve the suffering of Indigenous peoples of Canada. An inquiry into the missing and murdered Indigenous women would be a fine start.
When the Harper government denounces the atrocities of its “enemies” but actively supports the brutality of its “allies,” it bankrupts human rights rhetoric and fosters a dangerous double standard. Our government’s supposed enemies are not the only perpetrators of international violence – our government itself is, too.
This article first appeared in the Leveller Vol.7, No. 4 (Jan/Feb 2015).
