Is Afghanistan Our Vietnam War?
As the Canadian death toll in Afghanistan increases and days tick off the calendar, the more that the parallels between the conflict in Afghanistan and the Vietnam War are apparent.
The most notable parallel comes in Canada’s role as a preventative body against the proliferation of terrorist organizations across the Middle East and into the Western World. Canada’s emphasis on preventative action clearly parallels Eisenhower’s Domino Theory, the basis of preventative action in relation to the spread of Communism, as it applies to the War on Terror.
However, Canadians and Americans are not fighting an ideal rooted in politics any more. They face a different challenge stemming from religious differences and the compatibility of religion with bloodshed, be it of innocent people or not. The near fanatical religious aspects of this conflict make it something very different from the conversely political fanaticism found surrounding 20th century conflict.
While it is clear that the political response to Terrorism has been similar to that of Communism, the fact of the matter is that Canadian soldiers are dying for our freedom, which we should not forget. The Afghanistan conflict is thousands of kilometers away but that does not mean it should be ignored.
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Tags: afghanistan, Terrorism, vietnam, war
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March 24th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I did not realize our freedom had been threatened… explain how please (please don’t get me wrong I don’t think “free” properly describes our state now but you clearly assume we do and let’s grant it for the purpose of your argument). Really I haven’t met someone who could adequately prove that such “preventative action” could be equated with self defense. Our Canadian laws require that you are attacked before you can use self defense as an excuse. Nevermind the pragmatic fact that we are likely creating rather than suppressing animosity towards our nation. People don’t like country’s who’s militaries occupy others. Makes’em nervous.
One of the biggest similarities (from a western capitalist “democratic” perspective) between Terrorism and Communism is that they are overused labels for “not us”. Religion has always been compatible with bloodshed as has politics. Seperating religion from political ideals is to run the risk of sounding naive, especially when you’re deploying your military alongside that of the United States.