By David Pugliese, Defence Watch
The hand-wringing among Canadian defence analysts and opposition critics continues over the decision by the U.S. not to invite Canada to a meeting over developing strategy to combat the Islamic State.
The United States, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia and the Netherlands were at the meeting.
Canada wasn’t invited, prompting speculation by quite a number of commentators that this was a sign that Canada no longer mattered because of its plan to withdraw fighter jets from the coalition.
Former Conservative Defence Minister Peter MacKay took that a step further, telling CTV that the lack of invitation represented the view that Canada’s role, not only in the Iraq mission, but in its presence in the entire world, had diminished.
Who else wasn’t invited to the meeting?
Other nations who have taken part in the coalition bombing campaign against ISIL – Belgium, Denmark and Turkey as well as key Middle East allies Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark had withdrawn its aircraft last year to give its crews a rest but is putting them back in the war this coming spring.
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