Monday January 13, 2020 ~ NATIONAL
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice NewsI
US President Donald Trump decided to have Iranian Qassem Soleimani assassinated, claiming that attacks on four embassies in the Middle East were in the Iranian leader’s plans. In a relatively restrained response, Iran shot some missiles into US/Allied military bases in neighbouring Iraq earlier this week. That was apparently to be the end of it.
But Iran then put itself on high alert for war, and in that state of hyper-readiness mistakenly pulled the trigger to launch a fatal blow to a commercial airplane flying out of their international airport in Tehran. In the relative chaos of it all, Iran did not think or decide to ground civilian flights through their airspace. They also apparently did not ‘read the signals right’, in that the aircraft was heading away from the airport, not toward Iran’s military base.
As what Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has now called an “epic demonstration of human folly”, the Ukrainian Flight 752 carrying 176 people (57 of them Canadian citizens and 138 in total heading to Canada through a connecting flight) was impacted by one or more missiles (ground-to-air missiles are apparently released as a set of two — one, plus a backup). Within 15 seconds of impact the plane was hurtling to the ground; all passengers and crew dead on impact. All of this within two minutes of lift-off.
Responding to the discordant energy of the threat of war (real or perceived) can arguably be considered the force behind the confused actions of what some military observers have called a sloppy Iranian military. It’s not a first world country; their autocratic sociopolitical system lacks higher standards of ethics, morality and excellence of performance that even its own people (notably the ones who have emigrated to Canada and other western countries) deride.
While seeing the circumstantial connection between Trump’s military/political aggression toward Iran as initiating a domino effect, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has meanwhile had to speak cautiously of political dynamics as he consoles the Iranian-Canadian community and all of Canada over this disaster. Trudeau has vowed he will not rest until there are answers, justice and accountability.
For all the anger, despair and grief over the senseless death of so many — with heightened dismay over their high-academic and intellectual achievements being lost to the post-secondary system and business investment in Canada — hopefully this tease by Trump to stir the waters will be it, no more. Was he goading NATO allies to do more in the Middle East, or almost inconceivably to divert attention away from impeachment proceedings? Known for his do-first, ponder-later political swagger (a style adopted from his business life), Trump has ventured into a realm where his approach is painful and destructive to many. ‘The ends justify the means’ could possibly be tolerated by nations and communities in lesser circumstances, but not now, not this.
If there is anything to be gained by this tragedy it will hopefully include Trump rethinking his brash impact on a world that seeks fairness and peace. Although if Canada reestablishes diplomatic relations with Iran as a result of this tragedy, that could be seen as a small step forward in the work toward Middle East peacemaking.
~ MPB
==== NOTES:
This editorial was first published on page 2 in the January 10 to 12, 2020 print-PDF weekend edition of West Shore Voice News.