Lack of peace discussion amid war creating ‘generational conflict’: Dallaire | CTV’s Question Period

This year also marks the 75th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping missions efforts that humanitarian Romeo deair has extensive experience with general deair led the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda prior to and during the 1994 genocide retired leftenant General Delair is with us today hi General Delair great to have

You on our program I appreciate you making the time sir no no absolutely I read an interview with you from years ago in which you talked about how Remembrance Day used to be something you avoid you you said you avoided it like the plague and and I imagine there are

Many veterans who have been through a lot who feel very similarly uh do you feel differently now I um I got to tell you that 20 years of of therapy and nine pills a day does help uh but in the end it’s it’s still a very difficult day uh not because of

Remembering which people speak of so much is because of reliving the traumas and the experiences that that we live in these operational theaters and now the even more complex and ambiguous and and so much uh hard on on on civilian populations and and the decisions the dilemmas we have uh

Ethical and moral ones all all that we relive it h it it comes back clear digitally clear slow motion and so it’s a day for us to relive what we’ve experienced versus um others remembering uh which I think is the the reason why uh for many years my father who did six

Years overseas in World War II felt the same way uh to um uh regarding this day you wrote it about it in an oped this week as well um writing that we as a community we have a clearer understanding of the post-traumatic Mental effects on Veterans but that we

Also need to understand that these individuals quote also carry a deeper moral burden that manifests in feelings of guilt shame and betrayal by a nation that has failed to support the healing of their souls how do you hope Canadians reflect on that this Remembrance Day I

Think that that’s that is an evolving uh situation and and many people seem to be worried that because the the presence of veterans of of previous Wars seem to uh are disappearing and so there’s less of an interest and I I found that in fact no the interest is is continuing because

Many veterans have spoken to their grandchildren who continue to speak of the the the experience of their their grandparents and I believe that the youth are very much engaged in the crimes against humanity the human rights the abuses that go on and that the youth are more aware of the consequences of

Not doing anything about it and so I see that Remembrance Day is not purely remembering those who were killed but one remembering the conflicts that are out there that are still out there and still ongoing as we know well very well but also it’s remembering that there are

A lot of walking wounded who have are suffering because of the impact of that and their families General beyond the work that you’ve done around mental health and and those who who fought in the armed forces you’ve also done a lot of work and you contined to do about the

Of war and conflict on children uh you’ve written extensively about it you focus on it very much so at this moment and and so it’s in that vein I I certainly wanted to ask you about you know what’s unfolding in the Middle East right now what is going through your

Mind as you watch this this new war unfold there is a gross abandonment of sense of humanity uh that is going on in this conflict uh in regards to children we have we have offended nearly every one of the six grave violations against children uh in regards to not only

Conflict but but in uh the the the existence of children in our communities in our in our in our societies and so uh I believe that all sides have been negligent to the extent of being held accountable of atrocities of abuses uh of in fact uh the principles and the uh International

Conventions on the protection of children that they all signed in fact well most of the Nations have signed uh to uh to respect in conflicts I mean going after schools was also a declaration that people said we would not do because it’s a certainly not hospitals but but children being being

Uh destroyed and and killed on a scale that we’re seeing now is is unheard of what do you think the more long-term impacts of that will be oh well the long-term impact is is that there there’s not going to be peace uh the long-term impact is in fact you’re

Creating what we call generational Wars what do you think those kids are going to remember about what’s going on the ones that survived the ones that have been injured both physically and psychologically you are creating generations with this conflict the way they’re going at it of guaranteeing that

There’s going to continue to be conflict in that region and that there’s going to continue to be aggressiveness and and hatred and that reconciliation will be so complex and difficult because uh the children to our surprise actually become adults and they carry that experience profoundly inside them so what we’re

Doing is we’re creating generational Wars we are not in any way looking at peace in fact I haven’t heard anybody talk about trying to bring a peace process to this thing all we’ve heard is the continued uh uh uh actions on the ground which I believe are particularly impacting children which are

Guaranteeing that a difficulty of Peace will be exceptionally difficult to overcome do do you think uh peace in this case something like a two-state solution is still possible or do you do you feel based on what you’ve just said it’s less possible than before all human beings uh there is no limit to

What human beings can do positively as we’re seeing also sometimes to our greatest horror uh the limits there doesn’t seem to be limits on what human beings can can uh extract and impose on other human beings uh I do not in any way shape or form uh say things are

Impossible with human beings that that’s that’s non-starter what I am saying is is that in fact what we’re doing right now is creating a scenario of generational Wars of generational conflict of generational frictions that can lead to conflict General deair I’ll leave it there I appreciate your time

And your insights as always thank you very much sir no no absolutely

Retired Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire says the lack of peace discussions on the Israel-Hamas war is creating ‘generational conflict.’

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