Anzac Day Parallels

Another Anzac Day and Australia is still at war. I can't understand how a nation with two separate holidays to commemorate war dead can continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Back in 1916 Australian troops under British command attacked the Ottoman Empire at Gallipoli. No one questioned whether it was appropriate for Australian troops to be involved in such a distant (and merely political) war, they simply went to defend the British motherland. No one questioned the ethics of attacking the Turks when the Ottoman Empire had not yet entered the war (they were only allied with the Triple Alliance). After nine months and hundreds of thousands dead the Turks managed to repel the invasion.

Then in 2003 Australia joined the USA's Coalition in invading Iraq. There had been no reason given for whether or why we should join the War on Terror, the troops were simply sent off to defend "freedom" (while at home civil liberties were being drastically curtailed). There were plenty of arguments over the ethics of pre-emptive strikes but that barely slowed the Howard government. Who knows how much longer it will go on. But in this war, unlike Gallipoli, the Iraqis who tried to defend their homeland have already lost.