A rchive Date
[ 11-10-2001 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/haskins.html
Are we on the brink - or have we passed it?
By SCOTT HASKINS -- Edmonton Sun
October 11, 2001
In Florida, one man is dead and two others have come down with the deadly anthrax virus. Eerie coincidence?
Across the U.S., on Sunday, fighter planes patrolled the skies above NFL football stadiums. The anti-American sentiment resonating out of the Middle East gets more frightening by the hour. Will Iraq decide this is the time to attack Israel? Syria is now on the United Nations Security Council? I thought that country was on the hit list.
What about Edmonton? Surrounded by refineries and pipelines, we are no longer immune. If there are terrorists scattered across Canada, does it not make sense that some of them reside here? There is a fine line between self-defence and offence. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte warns that the fight could be expanded beyond Afghanistan.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri warns that "we are at the brink of a big war." The war cries are everywhere, spoken in many languages. Threats and counter-threats.
There is relief for the refugees, those poor people, but none for the rest of us. There is always an uneasiness in the pit of the stomach.
So many ramifications and ripples. The U.S.-led attacks began Sunday and have continued uninterrupted. The Taliban says planes have been shot down. The U.S. says planes have not been shot down. People are dying, only not in living colour as was the case with the World Trade Center.
They say truth is the first casualty of war. So who do you believe? This isn't a brave new world as much as it is a very frightened new world.
Are we standing on the brink? Or have we already fallen over the edge?
This "new kind of war" has produced a new kind of fear. During the First World War, the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam, not a single bomb fell on North America. It used to be good that the world is smaller today. Now it is not. It's not a question of if the terrorists will strike again. It's a question of when and where.
The Hoover Dam or the World Series? The White House or Jay Leno's green room? On Monday, the comedian had this to say during his monologue: "Thank you, Canada, our friend and neighbour, for lending us your tank."
I had an insightful conversation with an older lady last weekend. I have two young nephews of fighting age living in the U.S., but they have dual citizenship. If this thing expands, I'd implore them to run back to Saskatoon. Better a live coward ... The disgust was clear on her face and clearer in her words. "Where would we be if our young men ran away during the Second World War?" she said.
She's right of course. Besides, what if there is nowhere to run? The worst isn't going to happen overnight, but it could over time. Ryan will be 18 in just 37 months.
While Canada may not have much to offer, we must offer what we can. We may not have strength in numbers but, man for man, our soldiers are as good as any. Even if we can't do our share, we can do our best. It may not be our country that is under direct attack, but it is certainly our way of life.
It is not our soldiers I mock. It is not their bravery I question. It is the government that has let our military deteriorate to the point that it is, at best, laughable.
At the same time Canadian Defence Minister Art Eggleton is saying "This will be a long campaign," his U.S. counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, is saying there are terrorist cells in 50 or 60 countries and we must "drain the swamp." If our Forces are a farce, is this not the time to rebuild them?
Rumsfeld goes on to say that the coalition is not running out of targets, "Afghanistan is." Funny guy. Satellite photos show a Taliban training camp before an attack. And then after. There is nothing left but sand. Still, Osama bin Laden remains alive. He is said to be holed up, literally, inside a mountain. What has really been accomplished? So we get him. What about the others? He is the devil we know. What about the devils we don't?
Russia has offered support, but not troops. Once bitten, twice shy. They learned the hard way that Afghanistan is no place to fight a war.
For now, the face of war is a two-year-old refugee on the nightly news. There is no guarantee that it won't one day be Sean. Sad? We don't know the meaning of the word ... yet.
Scott Haskins can be reached by phone (403) 468-0278, by fax (403) 468-0139 and by e-mail at hasbin@home.com.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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