Stephen Harper's Possibly Fatal Syrian Mistake

On CTV's Question Period yesterday Craig Oliver reminded viewers of Theodore Roosevelt's famous quote: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

And he said Stephen Harper's views on military power, and his new war in Syria, are exactly the opposite: "Speak loudly and carry a twig."

But goodness knows Harper is desperate, and he can't wait to wave it. 

With opposition parties united against the move, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will use his parliamentary majority Monday to authorize the combat mission for 12 months, sending Canadian warplanes on bombing missions over Syria even as the region descends deeper into broad sectarian conflict.

Even though his expanding mission is taking us into an expanding Sunni-Shia war. Even though it will increase the chances of one of our pilots falling into the hands of ISIS, or one of the more than a thousand groups vying for power in Syria.

And even though because he doesn't know what he's doing, it will make our lives more dangerous not safer, no matter what he says...



Not just because waving his little twig, and talking up a storm could inspire some crazy in this country to attack us.

But also because, as I pointed out the other day, by attacking ISIS in Iraq he could help its rival Al Qaeda take over that country. 



And they are a far more dangerous enemy for a very simple reason: they attack targets in the West.

While ISIS is more interested in securing territory for its own apocalyptic reasons.

ISIS believes that its future is already determined by prophesy. It is pre-ordained that ISIS will face and defeat the "crusader" forces on a plain near the Syrian farming village of Dabiq. 

Some time after, the "Dajjal" [the anti-Christ] will appear. The forces of the caliphate will be reduced to a mere 5,000 men. There will be a final battle at the gates of Rum, commonly held to be Istanbul. At that point Issa ibn-Maryam, known to Christians as Jesus, will descend from heaven and kill Dajjal with a spear, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and heralding the end of the world.

Which is something Stephen Harper should understand because he's a Christian fanatic and him and his religious base believe basically the same thing...



And if he was really interested in making us safer he would also understand this:

That means that unlike al-Qaeda, a shape-shifting clandestine insurgency that operated around the world, ISIS must control and govern real territory. The main service an aspiring jihadi can render to the Islamic State, therefore, is not to stage attacks far away in the West, but to come to the caliphate and join its army.

But of course he doesn't care about that, he would welcome any kind of terrorist attack before the election. 

And the only reason he's expanding the mission into Syria is to please his religious base, who want him to save the Christians in that country.

As well as trying to distract other Canadians from the real issues we face in this country. Like the disastrous state of his petro economy, or his scandal-ridden government.

So he can try to win another bloody majority, by leading the fearful and the ignorant by the nose through the fog of war. 

Even if he leads us to catastrophe. 



When a government starts making decisions based primarily on getting re-elected, with little regard for what is best for the country, we should all take notice.

Rather than feeling safer because our Armed Forces are fighting in the Middle East, we now have a large target painted on our country, a target that gets larger and more tempting with each passing day to those who would do us harm.

I understand the political motivation for our leaders to show decisiveness in the face of a threat, but I don’t understand the blind pursuit of a political strategy that can have no outcome other than to make us less safe and secure.

You know, the Chinese general Sun Tzu once famously said "know your enemy."

And it's clear Stephen Harper doesn't. For him the real enemy is the opposition, and this whole twig waving exercise is all about defeating THEM, and nothing more than a crass politics.

And for that alone, he deserves to be removed from office. For no leader of any decent country has ever stooped so low.

But at least now we do know the real enemy, the real terrorist...



And that we will not be safe or sane.

Until the day that maniac is defeated...

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