Archive | June, 2010

Obama ditches U.S. commander in Afghanistan, replacement sees long conflict ahead

On Wednesday, June 23rd, President Obama announced the dismissal of General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan. McChrystal was terminated due to comments reported in an article in Rolling Stone magazine, in which he and his staff insulted Obama’s National Security Advisor and Vice-President Joe Biden and even mocked the President himself. […]

Canada sells out on nuclear trade with India

“If civilian nuclear cooperation is to be a primary fixture and symbol of the cordialization of Indo-Canadian relations,” writes CIGI Fellow Ernie Regehr, “it should be built on the most robust of nonproliferation conditions.” (Ernie Regehr, “The Canada-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal,” Disarming Conflict blog, 29 June 2010) Unfortunately, the deal that Canadian Prime Minister […]

Survey: 77% say "peace and nuclear disarmament" very important issues for G8/G20 summits

When asked to rate the importance of ten issues, respondents overwhelmingly focused on the environment. “The right to clean water” (91%) and “global warming” (86%) were chosen most often as “very important” topics for leaders to discuss, followed closely by “food security and hunger” (85%) and “global peace and nuclear disarmament” (77%).

Stay in Afghanistan: Senate committee

The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence has recommended that Canada remain in Afghanistan following the scheduled end of the mission in Kandahar (“Senate committee endorses continued military training mission in Afghanistan,” Canadian Press, 22 June 2010). The committee, chaired by Conservative Senator Pamela Wallin and composed entirely of Conservative and Liberal Senators […]

Children continue to suffer as the war in Afghanistan drags on

“Aerial attacks, land mines and forced suicide bombings are only a few of the devastating consequences of the war in Afghanistan increasingly affecting the country’s children,” says a new report conducted by Watchlist, a non-governmental organization that examines the status of children in war-torn areas (“Afghan war taking a toll on children: report,” CBC News, […]

America's "Other War" exceeds Vietnam conflict in length

The war in Afghanistan, dubbed America’s “Other War”, is now the longest war in U.S. history, “surpassing the conflict in Vietnam. 103 months passed between passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the withdrawal of the last American combat forces from Vietnam. As of [June 7th], the Afghanistan war is 104 months old.” Read […]