It is again the time of the year when we remember and pay our respects to those who have fallen in the line of duty to protect the democracy and freedoms that we enjoy today.
Such anniversaries are also good opportunities for everyone to take stock of how much has been achieved through the sacrifices of all those remembered and revered.
There can be no doubt that what was accomplished in the face of brutal aggression in the two world wars has allowed humanity to continue to look to the future with great hopes.
How much of those hopes have materialized for whom is an entirely different discussion.
But looking at the sacrifices being made today by the young soldiers of this country, one really wonders if the loss of so many lives should not have been averted.
The case in point is Afghanistan. Just last week, the body of the 133rd victim was brought back to the country in a casket draped with the national flag.
In order to be able to see the bigger picture, it might be necessary to look at what else happened in and around Afghanistan in the same week:
*A high level U.S diplomat stationed in Afghanistan, who was a former officer for the American military, resigned in protest against his country’s continued involvement in that country. He simply said that he did not know why the U.S was fighting in Afghanistan.
* In the most daring attack since the deployment of the NATO forces in the country, three Taliban fighters bombed and sprayed with bullets a guesthouse in the heart of Afghan capital Kabul, killing several UN staff members, who were supposedly under the protection of NATO. This means that, NATO, frequently described as the most successful military alliance in the history, is suffering its most embarrassing defeat at the hands of a few thousand irregular fanatic fighters.
* In neighbouring Pakistan, where the government is becoming increasingly desperate in the face of the onslaught of religious fanatics, while the army took control of several Taliban strongholds, suicide bombers killed more than 200 people in a number of attacks in various parts of the country.
*On top of all the violence, the master of fraud and corruption in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has been declared the president again despite the fact that his electoral fraud was officially established by the United Nations.
The conclusion from this picture is that the military forces of the west are neither helping build a democratic nation, nor coming closer to defeating their enemy in Afghanistan.
Canada need not lose any more of her young souls for a cause that is badly in need of redefinition.
— Mustafa Eric