Peacekeepers must stay above the fray
Re Canada to spread out peacekeeping, Nov. 16 We have good reason to try to stay above the fray in Africa by focusing on training and support. Specifically, there are no clear mandates or end-dates for conflicts in countries like Mali, Congo, Central African Republic or South Sudan. How could Canadian casualties ever be justified under these circumstances?
And why would Canada deploy troops to violent conflict zones where there is no peace to keep? It simply makes no sense.
If we just do the right things with the right motivations, everything will fall into place.
In particular, if we are meant to attain a seat on the U.N. Security Council, fine. If not, that’s OK, too.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is proving to be a masterful statesman with his strategy to engage Canada in U.N. peace operations. This is a difficult file and he deserves our support. Tobi Baumhard, King City
Re Canada considers Ukraine mission, Nov. 10
As evidenced by what Canadian politicians are currently saying on the subject, were Canadian forces to be deployed to Ukraine anytime soon, they would not likely be engaged in “peacekeeping,” at all. Rather, their mission would more likely be to try to beef up the current Ukrainian government’s military position against the pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
This would be intervention by Canadian forces on one side against the other in a complicated ongoing remote foreign conflict, in which, historically, there are two sides to the argument. We should not get militarily involved.
In order to avoid military involvement in issues between Russia and Ukraine, including over who should be governing eastern Ukraine, NATO has wisely refrained from inviting Ukraine to join NATO. Let us not volunteer to go looking for trouble, especially when Canada’s role should be “honest broker,” not “military assistant.” John F. Fagan, Willowdale