There is uncertainty in the world, as peace seems to be very elusive right now on many fronts, with North Korea threatening to send ballistic missiles over to North America, the U.S. and Russia are bickering with the expulsion of American diplomats, and armed conflict is ongoing in Syria and other locations.
The dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, has been ramping up his tests of ballistic missiles, while the United States has been flexing their military muscles in response, particularly after a recent test landed a missile just off the coast of Japan.
This same missile was said to be capable of striking North America, both Canada and the U.S., and thus there is a situation that has a great many people worried about what might happen.
Is Canada being threatened in this situation? As the northern neighbour to the U.S., the threats are being felt here, as any major conflict that might erupt is going to affect both countries.
The conflict between the U.S. and Russia does not directly impact on Canada, other than lending a feeling of instability to the world stage as major powers are struggling over the long-held allegations of Russia meddling in the American election.
In the Middle East, there are many sources of conflict going on in Syria, Israel and Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries, with the terrorist organization ISIS in the midst of it all.
Canada’s role over the last several decades has been in the role of peacekeeping, with involvement in the United Nations peacekeeping missions and with various agencies working on several different fronts.
The importance of Canada as a peaceful nation is now more apparent than ever, and Canada should not lose sight of the place that we can play on the world stage. Certainly these situations may seem overwhelming to many Canadians, who wonder if the world might again be descending into widespread conflict.
The threat of such a conflict is made far more scary than it was even in 1939, or in 1950 with the Korean war, or in the 60s and early 70s with the Viet Nam War. There are new dangers and threats of a terrorist nature, over and above that posed by the dictator of North Korea.
What is needed are level heads and mature leadership, and a continued commitment to providing mediation and peacekeeping, and Canada can take this opportunity to provide that leadership and stability. — Greg Nikkel
