Canada has just announced another year of Operation Impact to build the military capabilities of Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. It’s about building their security forces so they don’t fold again in the face of Daesh (ISIS). Sounds good, but we need to know more. The people of Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan will see Canadian involvement as an expression of you and me - the people of Canada - and I don’t mean only supporters of Justin Trudeau.
These are the questions I want answered.
- We all know what Daesh did. How does the Canadian mission protect women and girls?
- Who are the local leaders that Canadian forces work with? What's is their human rights record?
- How long are we really planning to be there and what did we learn from Afghanistan?
I think there are some good answers. The NATO Iraq mission talks about Women Peace and Security (we need to know more here, too). Global Affairs is involved. The diplomatic project I like best is a million dollars to collect evidence of “Daesh’s violation of international criminal and humanitarian law.” Members of Daesh in front of the International Criminal Court is something we all can look forward to when the time comes.
Here is what I say in my book #MoralHazards “…the next time we see our military deployed to a distant crisis, let’s ask them about those with whom they will partner and how they will protect civilians, especially women and children. www.readmoralhazards #womenpeaceandsecurity #political thrillers #warcrimes
