The horrific and coordinated ISIS attacks at six locations in Paris should reawaken the slumbering chattering classes to the most serious danger the world, in particular the west, faces from ISIS's Islamist bloodthirsty totalitarian ideology. The ISIS continuing its brutal ways should have been enough of a constant reminder. The Beirut attacks should have sufficed as a bloody wake up call. There is no question we take more seriously any bloodshed in Europe and North America; more so than anywhere else. Paris attacks have hit closer to home prompting Trudeau to correctly call the French 'our cousins"; even the Beirut victims are our human cousins as are the legitimate refugees fleeing ISIS and Assad. PM Trudeau has said we shall take our share of the refugees and we stand with France in its difficult hour.
The question many Canadians are justly asking is: are we safe? Are we any safer than France? Our public safety agencies obviously know more about the state of affairs in Canada and may be able to better answer the question. From our own Canadian experience of a Zehaf-Bibeau, Martin Rouleau, the VIA rail terror plot and the Toronto Eighteen it is clear to me we may be safer than France perhaps, but not completely immune to an ISIS driven attack upon us.
The next question is how do we respond? Many argue as has PM Trudeau that we should end Canada's combat mission in Iraq and Syria and focus more on training and the like. Others argue we must continue the combat mission. I am in the latter camp. The continuation of the combat mission does not preclude us from providing training and humanitarian assistance.
Trudeau is attending the G20 summit. It is timely to consider the question: what does it mean to stand with France in the face of the carnage in Paris? Is France wrong in bombing Syria and Iraq to stem the ISIS and other threats? Is the US wrong in helping Kurds repel ISIS from the brutal occupation of Iraqi territory? If we are right in ending our bombing mission we must, I assume, believe bombing ISIS is wrong. If so, are we prepared to say to our allies such as France, US and others that they are wrong in bombing ISIS? If they are right in bombing ISIS, why is it wrong for us to continue to bomb ISIS in standing with our allies?
As a committed Gandhian I intensely disagree with war. But to shirk from a war being thrust upon us will be highly irresponsible. Someone believing I was fear mongering tweeted at me Franklin Roosevelt's "there is nothing to fear but fear itself". But I remember Roosevelt making war to decisively defeat the Nazi's. He was right and so are Obama and Hollande!
