It has been a rough month around home, but I have managed to
keep up on world events. Here are some
thoughts on one of the trouble spots we see in the news every day.
In the Middle East, we have the emergence of the Islamic
State (IS, ISIL, ISIS) of extremist fighters, a group of Sunni fighters who
claim to want to return to the seventh century using AK-47s and Twitter. Every western country has condemned them but
none of them actually want to fight them.
The west claims that the IS is a threat to them, but there is no proof
of that yet. The other question being
asked is why are some young men from western countries being radicalized and
going to Syria and Iraq to fight. We’ll
return to that question later. The IS
rampage is undoubtedly another example of a group seeking power by using
religion as a motivator for the masses.
The word “jihad” sparks all kinds of emotions in people. But it is just another example of militarism.
As for why young men from western countries become
“radicalized” and join such movements, the answer may be simpler that we
think. We in the west have created
societies that are overwhelmed with safety and security. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it
can produce some unexpected results.
Young men who grow up in a society that does not allow them to “test
their mettle” may become determined to do just that. They have an urge for adventure and
danger. All ancient societies had some
sort of test of manhood. Not so today in
modern societies. But the human spirit
does not stray very far from its roots, particularly when they are told that it
is “manly” or “macho” to seek adventure.
Many find the release in sports and indeed the growth of so-called
extreme sports would give this some credence.
But some want more. As Barbara
Tuchman said in her book August 1914 about
the beginnings of World War I, “and in
the opinion of one observer the welcoming attitude toward war owed something to
the ‘unconscious boredom of peace.’”
Our Canadian government has spoken out loudly on the IS,
condemning them at every opportunity.
The problem here is that they have paid no attention to Theodore
Roosevelt’s admonition, “Talk softly and carry a big stick.” Instead they seem to believe that they should
speak loudly but carry no stick at all. “We’ll
just holler here in the background in hopes that someone else with do something.” This is not the way to carry on foreign
policy.
Although I abhor the idea of war, the unfortunate truth is
that the only way to defeat the IS is with boots and weapons on the ground,
lots of boots and lots of weapons. It is
estimated that there are now more than 30,000 IS fighters in Syria and
Iraq. They are fluid and mean. To come to grips with them may require at
least 100,000 trained troops. The
Kurdish fighters have shown that the IS is not invincible. We need to support the Kurds and add to their
numbers by surrounding the IS locations.
Talking loudly will not do it.
