The fog of war

To an average citizen, the war in Afghanistan is growing increasingly more complex and alarming. An estimated 7,000 civilians and 54 Canadian soliders have been killed, and over 225 have been wounded since the war started in 2001.

Former Secretary of Defence, Robert McNamara, has described the uncertainty of war as a ‘fog’, which is simply too complex for human beings to understand and interpret. However, there is little uncertainty as to the motives behind the current conflict in Afghanistan. The reasons are clear.

Afghanistan is a strategic entrance to energy-rich Central Asia, bypassing Iran, the Russian Federation, and China. The United States and its oil corporations have long been working on a pipeline corridor running through Pakistan and Afghanistan. The NATO combat missions, under the banner of the International Security Assistance Force are concentrated in Southwest and Northwest Afghanistan where the oil and gas pipeline corridor from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean is to be located.

Before 9/11, the US had been in direct negotiations with the Taliban government trying to secure the pipeline. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai was chosen as a result of lobbying by UNOCAL, where Karzai was not only a former employee but also had been collaborating with the Taliban government in negotiations pertaining to the trans-Afghan pipeline. The NATO offensives in the western half of Afghanistan can be accurately described as securing the territory needed for the pipeline corridor through Pakistan and Afghanistan from the oil and gas fields of Turkmenistan and Central Asia.

Once built, the pipeline corridor would be a major victory over competing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian energy interests. Control of Afghanistan is vital in deciding the future balance of power in Central Asia and Eurasia, thus whosoever controls Afghanistan has great leverage in the resource-rich Eurasian landmass.

The mission in Afghanistan has cost taxpayers over $2.2 billion since 2001, and is projected to top $4.4 billion by the planned end of the mission in 2009. Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan contributed to a record-setting total of $1 trillion in global military expenditures in 2005.

Most of this budget was spent by countries that represent only 16 percent of the world’s population. In contrast, these same countries spent just $68 billion on international aid. This gross misallocation of funds perpetuates the tendency for nations to use force rather than cooperation.

The Green Party believes that international cooperation and peacekeeping will lead to greater global security. By developing fair economic relationships with emerging countries, we can promote human rights and sustainability. In times of conflict, we can continue Canada’s reputation as peacekeepers and add programs for ecological preservation to protect vulnerable ecosystems.

When applying our policies to the curent mission in Afghanistan, it is quickly realized that we need to bring all Canadian troops back home now.

In defense of bringing the troops home now, Michael Agus of Pickering wrote in a letter to The Toronto Star on April 10, that

“Just as President George W. Bush has done in the United States, Prime Minister Stephen Harper accuses anyone who questions the role our armed forces are playing in Afghanistan of not supporting our troops.

By questioning our loyalty to our country and our armed forces, both of these gentlemen seek to trample on any opposition to their policy of armed intervention in the politics of another independent country.

To set the record straight, we who oppose our troops fighting in what is, for all intents and purposes, a civil war in Afghanistan are undoubtedly our troops' most ardent supporters. It is Harper who sends our troops to a foreign country to die. If opposition to sending them to die is equivalent to not supporting the troops, then I am proud to be in opposition.

There are times when we should send our troops overseas to fight and die in battle, like when our country is under threat of war and when the liberties we hold so dear are in peril. Afghanistan is not one of those times.

We are fighting in a brutal country for a regime that does not have the full support of all of its people and where, if not condoned, the drug trade – which is the mainstay of the economy – is ignored. This is a country that for generations has functioned on a system of warlords, and the belief that we can force the Western idea of democracy is both misplaced and pointless. At some point, our troops will have to come home, if our federal government has its way, after many more die only for this country to revert to its previous and long-standing tribal form of governing.

Fighting a war in Afghanistan is not what our young men and women should be doing. We are peacekeepers, not warmongers. And don't believe for one minute that our being there makes it safer. We are more vulnerable than we have ever been.

Bring our troops home, now.”

Well put.

My address at the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres

Good morning. Today, I am here to represent the Green Party of Ontario and present one part of our comprehensive plan of action, which includes working towards the prevention and eradication of sexual assualt. Before I begin, however, I would like to take the time, on behalf, of the Green Party of Ontario, to express our deep condolences in the passing of June Callwood, a tireless advocate for social justice, and would like to honour her memory by echoing the words of The Toronto Star, which wrote on April 17, that:

“June Callwood has left behind an indelible mark on this city. Callwood showed all of us how to get involved and get things done. She became a driving force behind the creation of many social agencies operating in Toronto today. Altogether, she helped launch more than 50 social organizations to fight the injustices she saw all around her. These agencies are a testament to her spirit and determination. In addition, she was the first prominent Canadian to publicly support federal compensation for the Chinese head tax, a campaign that culminated with an apology from the federal government last year. And as co-chair of the Campaign Against Child Poverty, she committed herself to obtaining changes in public policy that would give all children a better start in life.

As well as the legacy of bricks and mortar she left, she also taught us an important lesson – that it is possible for one person to make a difference. As she once said so eloquently: "If you see an injustice being committed, you're not an observer, you're a participant." On behalf of the Green Party, I would like to acknowledge the loss of a modern-day hero, June Callwood.

I would also like take the time to acknowledge the critical work that the OCRCC does. On behalf of the Green Party, I would like to thank you for the valuable role you have played in working towards the prevention and eradication of sexual assault. The OCRCC has led the way in recognizing and communicating that violence against women is a political issue as well as social issue.

I wanted to start today with a passage from Elizabeth A. Sheehy, who in a speech in Paraguay in 1996 about the legal response to violence against women in Canada, stated that, “Any history of the development and changes in the law as it relates to women and male violence is also a chronicle of the history of the women’s movement and its relationship to law. In spite of the many legal advances violence against women has not subsided in Canada because women’s vulnerability to male violence and our ability to harness law are inextricably linked to those who hold power. Thus, while law is an important tool in advancing women’s equality rights, law alone cannot end this violence, until all women’s equality is fully realized.”

It’s time to use our democratic system to work towards full women’s equality, and I believe the democratic solution lies in the Green Party and our ability to change the face of politics in Ontario forever. As Canadian author and philosopher John Ralston Saul, has said, “Laws are made by parliaments, assemblies, and congressess. The direction of the next quarter-century will be set not by those with influence but by those who win power. And yet, the opportunity lies waiting – if only momentarily – for someone to set the agenda for a new direction.”

To seize the opportunity that lies waiting, and set the new direction for a Green agenda, the Green Party recommends policy based on principle. That’s what sets us apart. In the Green Party of Ontario, we have Ten Key Values that provide the foundation for our policies. Today, I would like to point out three of those values:

• Social Justice:

The key to social justice is the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally, to meet basic human needs unconditionally, and to ensure that all citizens have full opportunities for personal and social development. This includes a $10 minimum wage, lower income and payroll taxes, and investing in a strong social safety net. The Greens recommend a dramatic increase in the funding made available to rape crisis centres and a reduction in the case load of social workers. Lack of funding to social services and the incredible caseload of social workers are crippling our ability to assist individuals to be active members of the community. This increase in spending will be offset by a dividend of increased employment, increased detection of child abuse, sexual abuse and a increase number of individuals who become functioning members of society again. The cost of inaction is much higher than the cost of action.

• Gender Equality:

The Green Party supports the belief that a feminist perspective emphasizes cooperation instead of competition and nurturing instead of aggression. This perspective must be applied to the governing of our society. To work towards gender equality, the Green Party would advocate full funding for the legal costs of cases involving employment equity and cases that tackle the root causes of gender inequality, such as ignorance, injustice, and prejudice.

• Nonviolence:

Every act of violence delays our progress toward a just society. To work towards non-violence, the Green Party would tackle the root causes of violence, by offering every citizen access to post secondary education and would create tens of thousands of green jobs by shifting taxes off of income and payroll and onto pollution and resource consumption. The Green Party is committed to non-violence and to building a culture of peace and co-operation, by fostering the development of a green society to replace our present industrial society which creates multitudes of unemployed and underemployed. In addition, the Green Party of Ontario also is strongly in favour of a strict ban on all assault weapons and handguns.

Before I finish, I would like to go back to Elizabeth A. Sheehy, who concluded her speech in Paraguay, with the following, “Violence against women must be conceptualized as an issue of substantive equality, and it will be crucially important to clairfy and articulate that understanding as a long-term goal. A government committed to ending violence against women will take its leadership and advice from the women’s movement since that is where it will find the expertise and the political commitment to women’s equality.”

The Green Party is committed to social justice, gender equality, and non-violence. We believe it’s time to use our democratic system to work towards full women’s equality by building a coalition with groups such as the OCRCC, to address gender inequality and end violence against women. Thank you.