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The Iraq War began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The government of Canada did not at any time formally declare war against Iraq. Nevertheless, the government of Canada, and Canadian citizens had complex relationships to that war. Those complex relationships evolved and changed at various points in that war. While Canada had previously participated in military action against Iraq in the Gulf War of 1991, it refused to declare war against Iraq without United Nations approval. Even so, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said on 10 October 2002 that Canada would, in fact, be part of a military coalition to invade Iraq if it were sanctioned by the United Nations. However, when the United States and the United Kingdom subsequently withdrew their diplomatic efforts to gain that UN sanction, Jean Chrétien announced in Parliament on 17 March 2003 that Canada would ''not'' participate in the pending invasion. Nevertheless, he offered the US and its soldiers his moral support. However, according to classified U.S. documents released by Wikileaks, a high-ranking Canadian official may have secretly promised to clandestinely support the invasion. Two days earlier, a quarter million people in Montreal had marched against the pending war. Major anti-war demonstrations had taken place in several other Canadian cities. Canada's relation to the Iraq War that began in 2003 was unlike Canada's role in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan because it was far less direct. About a hundred Canadian exchange officers, on exchange to American units, participated in the invasion of Iraq. It has been reported that Canadian troops in the region numbered fewer than only three other participating countries.〔http://commonground.ca/iss/199/cg199_iraq.shtml〕 The War also affected Canada in the form of protests and counter-protests related to the conflict, and United States Military members who sought refuge in the country after deserting their posts to avoid deployment to Iraq—but who, unlike as with the Vietnam War, were mostly returned by Canada forthwith to the United States. ==Decision not to participate== The Prime Minister of Canada at the time, Jean Chrétien, advised Governor General Adrienne Clarkson not to have Canada "join with the so-called Coalition of the willing" that was central to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This position was consistent with that which the Prime Minister had earlier expressed before the 19 March 2003 invasion of Iraq; namely, that "Canada was unlikely to join an invasion without explicit support from the United Nations." The decision by the United Nations (UN) on whether or not to sanction the invasion rested on two elements: a discussion of international law, including the Nuremberg Principles on preemptive war; and the UN inspections for Iraq's alleged possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Though the leader of the Canadian Alliance Party, Stephen Harper, objected to the Prime Minister's position on Iraq, stating that Canada should be fighting alongside the US,〔〔 Chrétien's decision reflected the view of the general Canadian public: In March 2003, a poll conducted by EKOS Research Associates for the ''Toronto Star'' and the Montreal newspaper ''La Presse'' found 71% of those questioned did not support the United States-led invasion, with 27% expressing disapproval. As well, the Prime Minister's advice to the viceroy was based on feasibility problems for Canada: on 31 March 2003, ''Maclean's'' magazine reported that "Canada has committed about 2,000 troops to Afghanistan this summer, a significant contribution given the stretched state of the Canadian military."〔 The weakness of the Canadian military had been a factor in its very limited role in the 1991 Gulf War.〔(canadiansoldiers.com article )〕 While the military had been asked about the feasibility of sending 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4 CMBG) from Germany to the Gulf to participate in direct combat operations, the Canadian Forces were forced to report that Operation "Broadsword", a theoretical deployment, would likely be a failure.〔Maloney, Dr. Sean " "Missed Opportunity: Operation BROADSWORD, 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade and the Gulf War 1990-1991", The Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin: Canada's Professional Journal on Army Issues Volume 5, Number 1 (Department of National Defence, Spring 2002)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Canada and the Iraq War」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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