LORDS OF THE FLIES:

The uncertainty of war (Clifford Orwin, March 21, 2003, National Post)

[W]ill this bold action inaugurate a new epoch? Is it "the first war of the 21st century," the harbinger of things to come?

Well yes, it's bound to be, but the harbinger of what things? We simply can't know. It all depends on the costs and ripples of the enterprise, long term as well as short term, economic and political as well as human. It depends on whether America succeeds or fails, as well, of course, as on the reactions of others to those successes and failures. America will win the war, but no one can deny that it could lose the peace. To go to war is to roll the dice not least because the unintended consequences of victory can be as unpleasant as the anticipated ones of defeat or inaction. The American tendency to withdraw from the world always lurks besides its tendency to assert itself in it, and no one can say at this point which of these the outcome of this war will strengthen.

The implications for Canada are clearer, simply because we have abdicated all responsibility in the matter. Never has our role in the world been less significant than it is today. When even pacifist Japan supports an American military action, our failure to do so is egregious. Perhaps we should replace the beaver as our national symbol with the horsefly. Having dismantled our military, we combine complete parasitism on the United States with a nasty tendency to sting it. We'll burrow in its hide, as smug as ever and as well-defended. Jean Chretien is betting that this is what Canadians want.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chretien, Mr. Chirac, and Mr. Schroeder have bet right--their peoples are content to hide behind the U.S. and Britain while protecting their own social welfare systems at any cost. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 24, 2003 7:03 PM