Newswise — As Canada nears the eighth anniversary of its involvement in Afghanistan, Canadians are increasingly debating our country’s role in the Afghan mission and its chances for success. While recent polls show that a large majority of Canadians now oppose military participation in Afghanistan, Ryerson History Professor Olivier Courteaux believes that Canadian troops will be stationed in the region long past the 2011 withdrawal deadline.
In his new book, The War on Terror: The Canadian Dilemma, Courteaux explores Canada’s history of dealing with international terrorism, such as its military role in Afghanistan, in the context of Canadian-American relations.
“After 9/11, there was a lot at stake. Just from a purely economic perspective, almost 80 per cent of our exports go to the U.S.,” says Courteaux. “So if, for example, the U.S. chose to tighten the border in response to security concerns, it could lead to major economic implications for Canada and serious problems for Canadian companies.”
But Canada’s participation in the American government’s war on terror campaign demanded a “made in Canada” solution. The nation clearly wanted to support the U.S., but only on its own terms and principles, says Courteaux.
In 2003, for example, Canadian public opinion, particularly in Quebec, was strongly against participating in the war in Iraq. To appease Canadian voters, the federal government opted to bolster support for the Afghanistan mission instead.
“Canadians had to balance the Canadian way of life against the idea of going to war,” says Dr. Courteaux. “How do we reconcile the competing demands of maintaining human rights, democracy and immigration policies while waging a war on foreign soil?”
A lot has changed since the first Canadian platoon set foot in Afghanistan in February 2002. The loss of more than 130 Canadian soldiers has turned public opinion against the war, and today less than one in three Canadians supports the continued Canadian military participation in Afghanistan.
Although Canada is scheduled to pull out of Afghanistan in two short years, Courteaux thinks this is unlikely to happen given the importance of U.S.-Canada relations. He suspects some form of negotiation will take place in order to convert our force from a combat role to a support capacity, or to move our troops to a less hostile part of the country.
What’s more, Courteaux doesn’t believe the war on terror will be affected by U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.
“The Obama administration may have toned down the overall rhetoric of the war,” says Courteaux, “but security will continue to be high on the president’s agenda, and Canada will need to show its support to maintain good relations with the U.S.”
The War on Terror: The Canadian Dilemma is the first in a series of short books in partnership with publisher Hispanic Economics. In the next instalment, Courteaux will examine the effects of climate change on Canada’s Arctic and the Northwest Passage.
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative career-focused education, offering close to 100 PhD, master’s, and undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Communication & Design; the Faculty of Community Services; the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science; and the Ted Rogers School of Management. Ryerson University has graduate and undergraduate enrolment of 25,000 students. With more than 68,000 registrations annually, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education.
RSS