PrPressess for CConvonverersion!sion! October 2010 Issue #65 $8.00 A History of Canadian Complicity in the Iraq War Press for Conversion! A History of Canadian Published by the Coalition to Complicity in the Iraq War Oppose the (part one) Arms Trade Acknowledgements Research, Editing, Design, Layout: Richard Sanders Mailing issue #63: Nick Aplin, Hanna Clemann, Susan Fisher, June and Johnny Johnson, Pat Johnston, Kaven Niven, Rosalie Reynolds, Richard Sanders. Computer support: Paul Gross Union help: PSAC: Mandy Rocks, Keith Coe NUPGE: Len Bush, Brenda Hildahl Please order extra copies Extra! Extra! of this magazine and distribute them to: • journalists • politicians • teachers • libraries • activists • students • clergy, etc. etc. Canada Post 40008371 2 Press for Conversion! (Issue # 65) November 2010 Canada’s Covert War in Iraq By Richard Sanders, coordinator, Coa- lition to Oppose the Arms Trade; edi- “Ironically, Canadian naval tor, Press for Conversion! vessels, aircraft and personnel in the Persian Gulf… Since 2003, Canadians have been bom- who are fighting terrorism No barded with media-spread mantras lull- will provide more support ing people into the delusion that the Canadian government bravely stood up indirectly to this war to U.S. pressure and refused to join the in Iraq than most of the U.S. war against against Iraq. Unfortu- 46 countries that are nately, it’s just not true. fully supporting our mu Despite all the hype to the con- efforts there.” trary, Canada was and still is an active participant in this horrific war that has Perh claimed more than 1.3 million lives. tur However, thanks to the constant an repetition of the deceitful official nar- rative that Canada boldly opted out of th the Iraq war, most Canadians—even dron progressives on the “left” who should Paul Cellucci, know better—have long-ago fallen U.S. Ambassador prey to the deception. As such, it is one of the most successful public re- to Canada lations campaigns ever foisted upon (2001-2005) the Canadian public. So powerful is the myth that such a listing.”2 how the general public and even pro- even when confronted with many facts Canada’s absence from this gressive anti-war activists can be suc- Most about Canada’s very active participa- “Coalition-of-the-Willing” list of pub- cessfully lulled into submission by a that th tion in this U.S.-led war, many Cana- licly-admitted participants in the Iraq well-run psychological operation. the Ira dians simply refuse to accept the truth. war has long been used as evidence from In the very early days of the that Canada said “no” and opted out of ways Iraq war, Canada’s support for the in- this unpopular war. Ignored is the fact vasion of Iraq was gratefully acknowl- that Powell also went on to say that edged by the then-U.S. Ambassador to “there are 15 other nations, who, for Canada, Paul Cellucci. On March 25, one reason or another do not wish to 2003, during the devastating “shock be publicly named but will be support- and awe” bombardment of Iraq, Am- ing the coalition.”3 bassador Cellucci admitted that Canada is the leading member “ironically, Canadian naval vessels, of this in-the-closet coalition of gov- [Edito aircraft and personnel...will supply ernments that have been more than will- importa more support to this war in Iraq ing to support the Iraq war but are not what you indirectly...than most of those 46 willing to be “publicly named.” claims to countries that are fully supporting Most Canadians, including is wheth our efforts there.”1 many peace activists, fell for this ruse. Cellucci had let the cat out of As a result, Canada’s avid, but furtive, the bag. However, his acknowledge- participation in the Iraq war has re- ment that Canada’s “navy, aircraft and mained shrouded in secrecy. Once , the facts ab personnel” provided “more support to conned by the official narrative, many found comp this war in Iraq” than most other coun- peace activists have remained silent. disseminate tries in the world, it only begins to The overall failure of the peace move- scratch the surface of Canada’s tre- ment to see through the deception has mendous support for the war. ensured that there has been no real A week earlier then-Secretary protest against Canadian complicity in of State Colin Powell had announced, the Iraq War. to much fanfare, that “We now have a It is important to reveal the coalition of the willing...who have pub- truth about Canada’s role in Iraq be- licly said they could be included in cause it is such a brilliant example of November 2010 (Issue # 65) Press for Conversion! 3 On March 18, 2003, then-U.S. Gen. Colin Powell Secretary of State Colin Powell said: points out where Canada should “We now have a coalition of the willing... who have publicly be listed said they could be included Afghanistan Albania in such a listing.” Angola ce here -----> Australia Many were proud to see that Azerbaijan Canada was not on that list. Bulgaria Colombia However, they ignore the fact Costa Rica Czech Republic that Powell went on to say: Denmark “there are 15 other nations, who, Dominican Republic for one reason or another do not El Salvador Eritrea wish to be publicly named but Estonia will be supporting the coalition.” Ethiopia Georgia Honduras Canada is the leading member of a secret group of nations Hungary Iceland that could accurately be called call CW-HUSH, the Italy Japan “Coalition of the Willing to Help but Unwilling to be Seen Helping” Kuwait Latvia Doublethink, Double-hatting and Cognitive Dissonance Lithuania o- Macedonia 5, By Richard Sanders, coordinator, Coalition to Oppose settling information is soon forgotten and Canada’s Marshall Islands the Arms Trade mythological juggernaut lumbers forward unscathed. Micronesia nt/ Canadian anti-war activists should therefore Mongolia 325 n his novel 1984, George Orwell developed the con aim to increase the cognitive dissonance of their fel- Netherlands er- cept of “doublethink,” which he described as: low citizens by relentlessly exposing the ugly truth Nicaragua Palau n, “The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in of Canada’s leading position in the bellicose system I Panama one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of of corporate imperialism that pervades our planet. Philippines Canadians may then eventually reject the prevailing y/ them.... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely be- Poland 3 / lieving in them, to forget any fact that has become official narrative and free themselves from the con- Portugal inconvenient.”1 fining straight-jacket of this country’s most power- Romania This psychological process has also been described as: ful doublethink—the naive mythology of Canada’s Rwanda “a form of trained, willful intellectual blindness to role as a global force for peace. Singapore contradictions in a belief system. Doublethink dif- The rise of a Canadian “hero” in the Iraq War Slovakia fers from ordinary hypocrisy in that the to Canada’s top military post offers a valuable oppor- Solomon Islands ‘doublethinking’ person deliberately had to forget tunity to shatter the chimera. Revelations of South Korea Spain the contradiction between his two opposing be- Natynczyk’s deep complicity in the Iraq war will make Tonga it that much harder for Canadians to maintain their liefs—and then deliberately forget that he had for- Turkey gotten the contradiction…. Orwell describes it as peculiar brand of doublethink which is the bane of Uganda ‘controlled insanity.’”2 anti-war activists in this country. Ukraine Thankfully, psychologists have developed a useful con- United Kingdom cept called “cognitive dissonance” which offers a References United States means of escape from “doublethink.” Cognitive disso- 1. George Orwell, 1984, 1949, p.220. Uzbekistan nance is the “uncomfortable feeling or stress caused 2. Doublethink by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously.”3 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink #cite_note-Orwell-0 The theory holds that 3. Cognitive_dissonance en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_diss onance “people have a fundamental cognitive drive to re- 4. Ibid. duce this dissonance by modifying an existing be- lief, or rejecting one of the contradictory ideas.”4 Upon hearing examples of their government’s engage- ment in war and oppression, many Canadians experi- ence this disquieting inner discord. They struggle to reduce their mental discomfort by dismissing news of Canada’s war culture as aberrations or untruths. Un- 4 Press for Conversion! (Issue # 65) November 2010 Leading the Multinational Fleet in the Persian Gulf in 2003 Task Force 151: Navy Commodore Roger Girouard, A Significant Boost was the Commander to the Iraq War of Task Force 151— By Frank P.Harvey, NATO Fellow and the multinational Professor, Political Science, Dal- fleet that protected housie University and Center for For- and serviced U.S. eign Policy Studies. warships in the dmiral Ken Summers (who Persian Gulf during commanded Canada’s military the 2003 Iraq War. Ain the 1991 Gulf War) con- firmed that In this DND photo “they are providing direct support to the war on terrorism...and indi- Cmdr. Girouard rect support to the war on Iraq, in poses on the bridge that they are escorting through the of Task Force 151’s Strait of Hormuz any allied ship that lead ship—a multi- 1 needs to get in or out of the gulf.’ billion dollar Cana- Canadian commander, Commodore Roger Girouard, reported directly to dian Destroyer, the U.S. Vice-Admiral Timothy Keating; HMCS Iroquois who is the head of the U.S. 5th Fleet —in June 2003. (fighting the Iraq War) and top naval officer in the war on terrorism.2 there really was no distinction at all...