At the risk of repeating myself (as though I never do!) I am deeply disturbed by the continuing violence in Syria and the ineffective responses on the part of the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council. The escalation of bloodshed, even as soldiers desert Bashar al-Assad's forces, is a crime against humanity.
I continue to try to process this alongside other international efforts to curb despots and dictators. Nato bombed the bejabbers out of Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi bringing about a regime change. Now we hear of the torture and murder of those who were Gaddafi supporters.
Canadians soldiers died in Afghanistan over the course of a decade and we spent billions to support them. While we can argue that it was a noble effort we're being told that the Taliban are poised to return to power once Western forces depart.
And what happens if Israel chooses to strike Iran in the next couple of weeks as some are predicting.
As a Christian I am constantly trying to understand my role as a peacemaker in a world where the evil of violence exists. Turning the other cheek seems simplistic but I'm not impressed with the alternatives.
Have any of you got it figured out yet? Do we just shrug our shoulders and watch the Superbowl, surely our version of the ancient Roman bread and circuses? Does persistent prayer and intentional peacemaking matter?
2 comments:
It all seems to be a mess, doesn't it?
I've just read that the Russians have just vetoed any UN action against Syria. Clearly the power structure in that organization needs revision to fit the times.
Afghanistan will always be a quagmire and to me, and it just seems as though many parts of the world are too resistent to democracy to change their ways. North Korea, among others, is into its sixth decade of political brainwashing. Can you imagine its people rising up against what the rest of the world see to be wrong? It hardly seems possible.
More and more I wonder how isolationism hasn't taken hold of western nations like it did after WWI. Then again, with our economies all so interwoven now, it's probably impossible for any country to go it alone.
Like it or not, we are all in this together!
You're right Ian, this is a complex issues and the United Nations Security Council is a shambles when nations such as China and Russia refuse to recognize the atrocities in Syria.
I know that there are no easy answers but God help us if we don't learn to address the world's bullies.
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