Podcast: Play in new window | Download (66.2MB) | Embed
With Paul Lambert, Author, Former Teacher, Just Right Euro-Correspondent
TV Or Not TV? – Not ‘Not’ In Sweden
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Popular Misconceptions
‘Palestinian’? What’s That?
Define The Conflict – Define The Solution – No Solution Can Involve The Arabs
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:48 — 64.0MB) | Embed
Deja Vu All Over Again – A Potpourri Of Resurrected Issues of The Distant And Recent Past
GUEST: Gordon Mood, L.A. Mood Comics And Games
Archie Comics – 600th Issue Features Proposal To Veronica
Christine Williams, Stuart Parker, Robert Metz – Viewpoints On Releasing The Lockerbie Bomber
Compassion And Mercy Versus Justice
GUEST: Paul McKeever, Leader, Freedom Party Of Ontario
No Tax For Pan Am II – An Unwanted Legacy
The Prince Of Pot: Marc Emery’s Farewell Tour
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:54 — 67.4MB) | Embed
Reflections On 9/11
Americans And Canadians – The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan
Beware Of Putin: Russia’s Role In Georgia
India And China – Growing World Influences
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:35 — 64.9MB) | Embed
Explaining Terrorism – Again
The Sun Says NO To Global Warming
Climate Change History
Food Shortages And Crop Failures
In the shadow of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, our discussion turns to Canada’s unexpected role in Afghanistan, a mission that defies the media’s narrow focus on combat. Joined by Sergeant Arthur Majoor, fresh from a six-month tour in Kandahar, the conversation reveals a landscape far removed from the alien desolation often portrayed. Mountains loom against a red desert, temperatures soar to the low 50s, yet adaptation becomes second nature amid air-conditioned bases and limited outdoor exertion.
The media’s obsession with battles obscures the true essence of our efforts: a seamless blend of security and reconstruction. Provincial Reconstruction Teams, bolstered by battle groups, enable projects that rebuild infrastructure without immediate Taliban sabotage. Afghanistan’s history unfolds as a tale of instability—from constitutional monarchy disrupted by 1970s droughts and factionalism, to Soviet invasion in 1979, Mujahideen resistance, civil wars, and Taliban tyranny that froze society under draconian rule. Ejected in 2001, the Taliban left a void now filled by ISAF’s multinational alliance of 38 nations, including Canada, committed through the UN-mandated Afghan Compact until 2011.
Progress manifests in small but profound ways: reclaiming irrigation ditches, building village schools and clinics, fostering community councils—including those for women—and training Afghan National Army battalions. Yet challenges persist, with 30 years of educational voids hindering skilled labor like engineers or mechanics. Canada’s $1.2 billion aid over a decade supports this, spurring local economies rather than flooding with foreign goods. Critics who demand withdrawal ignore the symbiotic tie between combat and development; pulling out prematurely risks undoing gains in a geopolitically volatile region bordering nuclear powers.
Humanitarianism aligns with our self-image as UN supporters and human rights advocates, countering Taliban ferocity against education and freedom. Villagers actively aid ISAF, exposing caches and informing on threats, proving local rejection of fear-based rule. As Canadians historically tackle immense challenges—from building the CPR to forging NATO—staying the course honors our values. In this pivotal endeavor, success demands persistence that hits just right.
In this edition of Just Right, we explore the stark realities of the global jihad movement with John Thompson, president of the Mackenzie Institute and a leading expert on terrorism and political extremism.
We begin by addressing Canadian attitudes toward the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many Canadians view these conflicts as separate and mistaken endeavors, with polls indicating growing fatigue and a belief that continued involvement heightens vulnerability to terrorism. Yet Thompson clarifies that these are not isolated wars but manifestations of a singular worldwide phenomenon: the international jihad, encompassing Wahhabi, Salafist, Deobandist, and Khomeinist strands united by shared ideology, funding, training, and objectives.
This is no mere opinion but the jihadists’ own perspective, as they shift resources across theaters—from Iraq to Afghanistan, importing fighters from distant nations. Absent a central figure like Hitler or Stalin, the movement persists as a decades-long ideological brew, rendering quick withdrawal impossible.
We examine terrorism’s psychological underpinnings: beyond grand ideological promises of triumph, terrorists derive subconscious satisfaction from destruction and chaos. Thompson contrasts this with past Marxist terrorism, limited in lethality, against today’s far more sinister threats, including cults like Aum Shinrikyo.
In Iraq, failures stem from ignoring tribalism, debaathification errors that dismantled institutions, and external interference fueling sectarian violence. We discuss whether involvement concerns oil—Thompson asserts no, emphasizing the region’s strategic crossroads status. American imperialism proves inept at cloning democratic institutions abroad, rooted in cultural differences.
Freedom emerges as the West’s ultimate weapon against fundamentalism, though Arab elites fear its implications. Media polarization and manipulated controversies, like the Danish cartoons, divert and inflame.
Ultimately, muddling through offers the least catastrophic path, hoping moderate Muslims reclaim their faith—yet victory for jihadists would unleash unimaginable horrors.
Recognizing this global struggle for what it is remains just right.
