"Canada Not Invited To Paris For The Next Anti-ISIS ..." Topic

…Coalition Meeting.

"Canada has not been invited to an anti-ISIS coalition meeting this week in Paris, CBC News has learned.

Defence ministers from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia and the Netherlands will join U.S. Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter on Wednesday to discuss the future of the fight against the extremist group.

Canada's Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan did not receive an invitation, his office confirmed to CBC News Network's Power & Politics…"
Full article here
link

It is important that Canada should be included in these talks. But with the decision to withdraw Canadian fighter jets from the Middle East has now been made …. I guess the allies are making the assumption that Canada is abandoning the fight…

Amicalement
Armand

Yes, I saw the withdrew CAS from the Mid East. But I thought they still had SF in Iraq training the Kurds, etc. ?

Why bankrupt the state treasury when other countries have it all covered? Besides, it's not like a couple of CF-18's are going to make a difference other than a symbolic gesture.

Strangely, Canada has one of the few defense ministers who has been in combat.

All 6 CF-18 are still on station, although government has stated intention of withdrawing, they have not. SF continue in training role, with plan to increase training role, but like withdrawal no details yet.

Well I'm glad to hear their SF is still there and doing training, etc. … Truth is the 6 CF-18 are not really needed. It's not like the US or others flying in the region have an aircraft shortage.

But IMO, all the different SF, Spec Ops units, etc., there is what is really critical. Turning the locals into effective combat units to take the fight to Daesh/AQ … As I and others smarter than I have said, the local ground forces have be the overwhelming numbers to aggressively attack and destroy the enemy. With US/NATO/etc., providing support like training, CAS, log, intel, etc. …

Not like we saw in GWI, GWII, etc. … It has to be islamist vs. moslem … not the Crusaders, infidels, etc. … It is an islamic civil war at this point … and before for that matter.

As a sidebar, I saw on CNN that the US has asked the Aussies and others to send more assets to the region. The "ANZACs" basically said they are pretty much going to keep their force level at about the same. They like others may be seeing that what many others have observed. No matter how much training and support given to the locals. They have a very hard time being effective in combat.

And what makes it even more telling is that many in the region, like the Turks, the Arab nations, etc., have a lot of assets that are doing nothing. With only token at best assets deployed, if that. And of course we know all the problems the locals have with each other going back decades and decades.

So why should anyone from the West risk more blood and treasure for this very much centuries old moslem civil war ? As the West is there to stop Islamic terrorism from killing our civilian populous in our own streets, etc. … As we see in the Iraq and A'stan … we can't "nation build" with a large part of their culture living very much in the past. Among other things …

They like others may be seeing that what many others have observed. No matter how much training and support given to the locals. They have a very hard time being effective in combat.

I very much doubt our pollies have enough sense to see it in those terms, mate, despite the advice they get from BS Castle in Russell. More than likely there's a lot of different factors they considered, especially economic ones, increasing instability to our north and, very importantly, next year's federal election.

I'd say the cost is the major factor, though. Our plunging balance of trade figures and stagnant tax revenues; taking in more Syrian refugees than the US or UK; refurbishing The Lodge for the 3rd time in seven years; paying for politicians to fly their families around Oz and the world; and financing their 51.9% increase in salary since 2010 all mean that money is short.

Winning elections and parliamentary salary increases- what could possibly be more important?!!

Bitter, twisted and cynical? Me?

Very true … at squad, platoon, company level you just do your duty … regardless. But the bottom line is always about I didn't mean to say anything negative about the troops … The "ANZACs" always do their job and then some.
But yes, in many cases with politics … if I may say … Trumps everything else !

Bitter, twisted and cynical?

More like – Realistic, pragmatic, situationally aware, no rose colored glasses allowed … That's the way I see it !