Broadcast November 10 2009
If the opinion polls are to be believed, there are a lot of people in Britain struggling to understand our country’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan. And right on cue for Remembrance Sunday, the Independent on Sunday became the first national newspaper to declare that it is time for the UK to withdraw its troops from that country.
The paper gave different reasons for its conclusion - including the fact that in their opinion British soldiers are seen increasingly as an occupying army and are not supported by ordinary Afghans, that the recent elections there give little cause to imagine that democracy is being established, and that if we are fighting al Qaeda – then we are in the wrong country as al-Qaeda is operating from Pakisatan (a fact acknowledged by Sir Jock Stirrup, Head of the Armed Forces in a BBC interview at the weekend).
On the other hand, it might be argued that democracy can not spring up overnight, and proper training for the Afghan army will take years, that defeat of the Taleban is in itself a worthy cause, but it seems to me that as long as British soldiers are risking (and in some cases losing) their lives there, politicians and indeed we ourselves have a responsibility to ask questions of any war.
Alex Salmond was criticised for agreeing with the Independent and airing his views on Remembrance Sunday by another Scottish newspaper who called his words disrespectful. Yet it is surely possible to support our servicemen and women and families and salute their bravery and commitment without necessarily agreeing with the arguments for war put forward by politicians of whatever stripe.
Christians follow Jesus, who called on people to act as peacemakers. Traditionally, Christians have been divided between those who are pacifists and those who believe (that in extreme situations), war can be seen as the lesser of two evils. At the very least, if we are sending soldiers to war then we need to have good moral reasons and clear thinking behind us.
Remembrance must not only be a time for looking back with sadness and gratitude. We must also use it to inspire the hard work of peacemaking and strive to build a world where we can solve disputes without resorting to violence.