A Rare Foreign Policy Posting

First off, I usually reserve postings on this blog to commentary relating to Saskatchewan Politics. However, because there have been so few interesting developments on that front lately (unless of course you consider which highways Lorne Calvert is going to travel this summer interesting), I'm going to veer off the usual path and comment on something that I typically would not.

While I am a graduate student in political science, my area of study is Canadian Politics, specifically electoral behaviour. I have very little interest in foreign policy. In fact, I have only ever taken one foreign policy class: Military Security, in the summer of 2004 during which I think I fell asleep each and every day.

That being said, I have been following the situation in Lebanon / Israel quite closely and read numerous commentaries on the conflict. I wouldn't say that I'm usually indifferent when it comes to foreign policy; I'm not. It's just that I, for some reason, have a stronger opinion in this case. There is no clearly obvious reason why I should. Yes, I'm decidedly pro-Israel and have been since traveling there in 2000. However, despite this I am not usually stirred by events in the Middle East.

Perhaps the reason for my interest is because what is essentially a foreign policy concern has intruded into the domain of Canadian politics. Harper has faced criticism for both his pro-Israel stance and his government's evacuation response. This criticism appears to lend further credence to the belief that many people (including much of the media) are out to criticize Harper no matter what he does. However, many of these criticisms are unfair at best and simply wrong at worst.

First, I for one am in full agreement with Harper's stance on the conflict. Hezbollah is a terrorist group with the aim to eradicate the Israeli population and annihilate the state. Why shouldn't Israel defend its sovereignty against a group that poses such a serious threat to its existence? Yes, it is sad that so many innocent people in Lebanon have died as a result of Israel's attacks but it is Hezbollah that is to blame, not Israel; they did start this fight after all. It's not Israel's fault that its military packs more of a punch than does its terrorist group opponent. In fact, Israel has made efforts to warn Lebanese civilians and limit civilian deaths. On the contrary, Hezbollah has made no such attempts, indiscriminately firing rockets into the most populated areas of Israel with the goal of killing as many Israelis as possible.

Second, even if you don't agree with what I've just said and are opposed to the position Harper has taken, isn't it nice that the leader of our country has taken a firm position on the issue. This is a welcome change from years of Liberal fluidity. Indeed, we are so used to being led by fence sitters that when our leader actually takes a position, we are shocked and baffled that our Prime Minister would threaten Canada's reputation as a peace broker. I actually think that its refreshing that we have a decisive leader rather than one who would rather pussyfoot around an issue than take a stance.

Third, evacuating thirty to fifty thousand Canadians from Lebanon is not as simple as so many thoughtless critics might believe. The fact that Canada had more foreign nationals in Lebanon than any other country only exacerbates the problem and most surely does not mean that Canada should have had its citizens out sooner than everyone else, as some people have suggested. A more complicated plan would clearly require more planning time. That's just common sense. Not only has Canada not had to evacuate such a large proportion of its foreign nationals before, it must also be considered that cutbacks to our foreign presence in countries such as Lebanon took place during the 1990s when the Liberals were in power. The Liberal Party of Canada and its ardent supporters have seemed to overlook this fact and its implications for the evacuation effort.

Fourth, those that have been rescued and returned to Canada who turn around and bash the government, complaining about the process piss me off the most. Many of you don't even live in Canada anymore! You have decided to move to or visit a country that has a long history of instability. Canadian taxpayers paid thousands of dollars to have you brought back to Canada. Can't you be grateful for a moment? Now I realize that most of these people that have returned to Canada are grateful, but for those of you who aren't, take a minute to shut up and be happy that you're back in a stable, peaceful country.

Fifth, of all the concerns surrounding this recent conflict in the middle east, why has such a debate about Harper deciding to divert his chartered plane to Cyprus from France become such a concern? He's been accused of just doing this as a photo opportunity. Whether it was or wasn't is immaterial. Because he decided to fly to Cyprus, over 100 Canadians arrived back to Canada far sooner than would have otherwise been the case. Is it so hard to believe that he had good intentions or do that many people really still buy the Liberal rhetoric that Harper is a creepy radical incapable of compassion and humanity?

All of this being said, I don't support a ceasefire. No, the conflict between Israel and the Arab World won't be solved by this crisis. To be realistic, it will likely never be solved. However, it wouldn't hurt for Israel to give those terrorist bastards a little more of the ass-kicking that they so rightly deserve.