Politic?

This is a blog dedicated to a personal interpretation of political news of the day. I attempt to be as knowledgeable as possible before commenting and committing my thoughts to a day's communication.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Double Standards on Canada's Conscience

"I believe there is a long way to go in terms of being able to say there's a Colt Canada opportunity in the Ukraine."
"We have as equal a chance as anybody, but I think there's a long process to go through in terms of them (Ukraine authorities) finding the best weapon for the best price."
"So, we've got as good a chance as anybody [in eventually selling weapons to Ukraine]."
Alex Payne, manager, Colt Canada

"We are planning to work out some positions, including with Canada, on military and technical co-operation, such as procurement of weapons and equipment from our partners."
Stepan Poltorak, Ukraine Defence Minister

"This is about building the capacity. This is about increasing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian armed forces, which is happening, and then actually providing the necessary equipment for them to sustain that as well."
Harjit Sajjan, Canadian Minister of Defence


Ukrainian soldiers are involved in an ongoing conflict against Russian-backed separatists. More than 10,000 people have died in the fighting. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images     
"It's a very practical thing that Ukraine would be able to get — or to buy — firearms which we badly need to defend ourselves."
"While we reform our armed forces and we achieved a lot on this path in the last year, we need also to arm our guys and to make further aggressive actions of Russia and Russia-supported gangs in [the east] harder. We defend our territory."
"This is a very strong signal to the Russian Federation from Canada."
Oleksil Makeiev, political director, Ukraine Foreign Ministry
So Kitchener, Ontario-based Colt Canada is looking to seal a business deal to re-equip the Ukrainian military with new assault rifles after their "exploratory type meeting" in January with Ukraine government officials, while Ukraine decides exactly what equipment it needs that can be provided by Canadian arms manufacturers. The previous Conservative-led government, while making clear its support for Ukraine and its denunciation of Moscow's interference in supporting ethnic Russian Ukrainian rebels in East Ukraine along with its illegal takeover of Crimea, hesitated to provide Ukraine with offensive weaponry.

The Liberal-led Canadian Government headed by Justin Trudeau, however, altered Canada's arms export rules to enable the sale of machine guns and allied small arms to Ukraine. So while the previous government provided Ukraine's military with non-lethal military supplies and Canadian trainers, Canada will now be changing course with the altered export rules in place to aid Ukraine in its defence and to upgrade and modernize its forces in line with NATO standards preparatory to joining the alliance.

It is not just the 100,000 rifles that Colt Canada anticipates being able to sell to Ukraine. Ukraine has expressed its interest in other military equipment, like anti-tank weapons, from Canada and the United States. In line with the U.S. President having announced his intention to send anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. A statement that aroused protests from Russia, warning that move would set the stage for further regional conflict. As though to suggest that Ukraine is the aggressor, and Russia the hapless bystander.

The main supplier of small arms to the Canadian Forces, Colt Canada is eager to sign on the dotted line with Ukraine. Canada altogether is anticipating a greatly expanded role in Ukraine after discussions between the two countries' defence ministers where Canadian involvement in the building of a Ukrainian ammunition plant appears to have been agreed upon. Greater Canadian support is being envisaged toward the Ukrainian military beyond the construction of such a factory. All to the good; Canada giving aid to its allies.

Sometimes. Its recent re-think on the sale of military helicopters to the Philippines in recognition that Philippine President Duterte has been waging a violent campaign against the drug trade in that country resulted in the cancellation of the sales agreement. But how to explain Canada withdrawing its promise to Iraqi Kurds for the supply of military weapons updated to aid them in combating Islamic State? Canada cites clashes between Iraqi and Kurdish forces mandating that reversal.

A picture taken on October 17, 2017 shows Iraqi government forces gesturing as the enter the Havana oil field, west of the multi-ethnic northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Iraqi forces took control of the two largest oil fields in the disputed northern province of Kirkuk demolishing Kurdish hopes of creating a viable independent state.AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

The clashes were born of the results of a referendum in Kurdistan for sovereignty in overwhelming agreement of Kurdish voters, and the Government of Iraq's reaction. That it is past time for the world to acknowledge that the Kurds with their multiple tens of millions of people represent the largest ethnic group in the world without recognized borders of their own on their ancient heritage land. The promise of that recognition by Western powers was reneged upon, Kurdish land divided between Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

Canada had promised the delivery of $10-million-worth of .50-calibre sniper rifles equipped with silencers, 60mm mortars, Carl Gustav anti-tank systems, grenade launchers, pistols, carbines, thermal binoculars, cameras, scopes and medical supplies. None of which is now destined to reach the people who require those promised supplies. With plans to deliver the weapons scuttled, it is unknown how the stockpile will be disposed of. Whatever else happens, this is a clear picture of Canada abandoning its support of a people in need.

Russia's aggression toward Ukraine has seen Canada making ethical decisions in support of a country's threatened sovereignty. Iraqi aggression toward a sizeable minority seeking the legitimization of their sovereign territory provides a counter-picture of a nation denied its national heritage, another moral and ethical dilemma, one which the Government of Canada chose to fail, preferring to support a government that delegitimizes the rights of two of its minorities, one sectarian the other ethnic.

It was the Kurdish Peshmerga that was effective in countering the spread of Islamic State; the Iraqi military had chosen to vanish in panic at the ISIL advance on Mosul. The Kurds gave safe haven to all the ethnic and religious minorities fleeing Islamic State from their punishing war on Yazidis and Christians. For all their sacrifices, recognized by Canadian and U.S. forces that helped train and arm the Peshmerga, they have been abandoned in the wake of their aborted efforts at sovereignty.

Iraqi forces fire mortars against Kurdish Peshmerga positions near Faysh Khabur, on the Turkish and Syrian border. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

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