An extensive recent survey in Canada shows that a clear majority of Canadians consider the mission in Afghanistan “a lost cause”, and hints at a “deep public skepticism about the war on terror”.
Now that baffles me.
In the USA too the majority of the people are expressing their opposition to the continued engagement of their armed forces abroad. But the leadership in both the countries are riding roughshod over public opinion.
So what’s the difference between these democracies and the dictatorships in other countries?
Now back to the Canadian poll. Decima Research polled more than 2,000 Canadians last month just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper stepped up his efforts to promote the mission.
“Fifty-nine per cent of respondents agreed Canadian soldiers ‘are dying for a cause we cannot win,’ while just 34 per cent disagreed with that statement.
” An even larger majority said they would never fight in Afghanistan themselves under any circumstances – not even if they were forced to in some military draft.
“The online survey of 2,038 people was conducted Sept. 8-18 and is considered accurate to within 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
“The doubts of respondents about Canada’s chances in Afghanistan paled in comparison to their downright dismissal of the overall U.S.-led war on terror.
“Almost three-quarters said the Bush administration had made the world more dangerous, 76 per cent said American policy had contributed to a rise in terrorism, and 68 per cent predicted the U.S. will eventually abandon Iraq without success.
“This public skepticism could have deep implications for Canada, both politically and militarily.”
I am not surprised. It confirms my earlier impressions formed during my three-month long stay in Canada in the 1970s about the non-aggressive and peaceful nature of the Canadians. And this can be attributed to their down-to-earth and non-arrogant outlook towards life.
I sound a bit partisan, maybe because my younger brother is a Canadian citizen!!!
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.