Nasty Little Hissing Spats

Who does it benefit, exactly, when two high-profile individuals, seen as exemplars in their professions, spar off against one another bitterly denouncing each other, and embroiling an unwilling public in their disagreement, inviting condemnation or support to one or the other.

And, in the case of retired general Lewis MacKenzie, who has retained a notably high public profile as a political adviser and military pundit, sparring off against retired general Romeo Dallaire, now sitting as a Liberal selection in the Senate, it is not a pretty debate.

The airing of which does no credit to either; perhaps far less to Lewis MacKenzie than the unfortunate Romeo Dallaire who has spent a lot of energy attempting to restore his reputation and self-respect, after the horrors of Rwanda were unleashed while he represented the United Nations' peacekeeping effort there.

Belgium, the former colonial power in Rwanda, had a significant number of its soldiers in the international team headed by Romeo Dallaire, and that country still regards the general as an abject failure in his post, responsible for the deaths of ten Belgian peacekeepers.

General Dallaire had been en route to a meeting of public officials in Rwanda, intent on staving off a bloodbath, when his official car passed the compound where the Belgians were surrounded, and it was clear what the outcome would be. He made the decision to continue with his urgent meeting, rather than take steps to rescue the Belgians.

That decision has haunted him ever since, although he claims he had no other choice. He opted to save the mission rather than the men attached to the mission, and in the end, saved nothing, neither the mission nor the men he was responsible for.

The slaughter that ensued, with the ruling Hutu militias murdering moderate Hutus and majority Tutsi erupting into a deranged genocide bringing the world to an abrupt state of shock. Where neighbours turned against neighbours and the passion of hatred overcame their humanity.

Both men are recruited from time to time to speak before the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto, and each delivers a different message of military leadership responsibility. Mr. Dallaire's presentation emphasizes his belief that the mission is paramount. While Mr. MacKenzie's claims that sometimes the mission should be subordinated to the safety of its personnel.

"The disagreement between Dallaire and me regarding priorities was obviously confusing for aspiring senior leaders in the Canadian Forces", wrote Mr. MacKenzie in a recently-completed book. When he complained to then chief-of-defence-staff Maurice Baril, he begged to differ; the disagreement in values would be useful, General Baril felt.

We in the general population and elsewhere are aware of the tragedy through the eyes of Senator Dallaire, his proclaimed love for the people of Rwanda and the beautiful country whose tragedy he oversaw in his failed peacekeeping mission which he blamed on the inaction of NATO and the UN in failing to bolster his troops and better equip them.

We were not generally aware that during retired General Lewis MacKenzie's stint as a UN commander in the former Yugoslavia he was accused by some Bosnians during the dreadful conflict - an accusation never substantiated - of raping and killing Muslim girls.

One might think that the very hint of such abysmally dread occurrences might humble and silence both men, rather than encourage them to engage in accusations and counter-accusations. Perhaps it's simply an unfortunate truth that military heroes too often stumble over their feet of clay.

Pity.