Weinie said:
So, in these type of situations, we leave it to the faction with the most firepower to assume control/power, notwithstanding their intentions or ideology? How very neutral and non-committal of you.
I'm not sure if there is something in the air today, but everybody on the forum seems to be attacking each other rather than intelligently debating what the other members are saying.
Instead of having a useful and productive discussion about the pros & cons of getting involved in a Mali operation, everybody seems to be pounding their chests while belittling the other members who are suggesting something more akin to a discussion.
It makes it difficult for any members to have a productive conversation or discussion about the matter, when immediately jumped on and attacked.
I'd also note that some of the members who have proposed questions above in this thread did just that - they proposed questions. These questions aren't stupid, and should be kept in mind when deciding when/if to get involved either way.
I have a lot of respect for most of us who discuss issues on this forum on a regular basis. So with that respect in mind, I'd like to gently suggest that if some of us are feeling snippy, self righteous, or confrontational - the comments section is open on CBC. Since this isn't a CBC discussion forum, and since we all agree that leading by example is typically the best course of action, let's discuss issues and stop randomly belittling each other.
That being said... some questions have been brought up by members here, and these same questions have been discussed previously in other threads. These questions contribute to a philosophical debate that modern society has struggled with for ages.
1. Do we have a moral obligation to become involved in operations like Mali? (Ethnic cleaning, failed government, etc.)
2. If we are not able to fix some of the underlying issues causing the problems, are we possibly putting our members in danger irresponsibly? (Extreme poverty, no economic plans, no government, and an issue we don't necessarily recognize the importance of - overpopulation in areas of very little means to support the population. Lack of food, lack of water, etc.)
3. If we do decide to intervene, what does that look from a military perspective? A battlegroup? Advisors? Medical help? Special forces to surgically take out the extremist groups? Air strikes to hollow out the threat? etc.