Iran: Reckless and Incompetent
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Canadians across the country spent the weekend mourning the victims of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 – a tragedy that took yet another turn when Iran finally admitted early Saturday it had accidentally shot down the airliner when it confused it for a U.S. cruise missile. Today in The Conversation Canada, we have three stories that look at different aspects of this heartbreaking catastrophe.
A key question is this: Why didn’t Iran shut down its commercial airspace at the same time it was launching missiles at Iraqi military bases that house U.S. troops? Aurel Braun, a professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto, says the incident reveals “a deadly combination of the (Iranian) regime’s breathtaking recklessness and monumental incompetence.”
Canada is now trying to get officials on the ground in Iran to obtain more information about the incident and to help families return the bodies of their slain relatives. This difficult situation is made worse by the fact that Canada closed its embassy in Tehran in 2012. Canadian Middle East expert Jeremy Wildeman notes Ottawa “is caught in a mess of its own diplomatic making.”
The Iranians boasted a military success when its missiles hit the Iraqi military base. Hours later, 176 innocent civilians were killed when Flight PS752 was shot down. Michael Armstrong of Brock University, who researches missile warfare, explains the type of surface-to-air missiles used by Iran.
Also today:
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Scott White
Editor-in-Chief
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Today's Featured Articles
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In this Jan. 8, 2020 photo, rescue workers search the scene where a Ukrainian plane crashed in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ebrahim Noroozi
Aurel Braun, University of Toronto
Flight PS752 is more than just a terrible tragedy. It's also revealed the potential future costs of Iran's irresponsibility.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pauses as he speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Jan. 11. Trudeau says Iran must take full responsibility for mistakenly shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 civilians on board.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Jeremy Wildeman, University of Bath
The downing of Flight PS752 isn't just the result of Canada being caught in U.S.-Iran crossfire. It's also the result of an unnecessarily aggressive posture of Canada's own against Iran in 2012.
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People gather for a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Ukraine plane crash in Tehran on Jan. 11, 2020.
AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Michael J. Armstrong, Brock University
The downing of Flight PS752 suggest Iran’s missile technology has grown increasingly sophisticated. But its ability to responsibly control that technology has not.
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(Shutterstock)
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La Conversation Canada
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Sur cette photo prise le 8 janvier 2020, des secouristes fouillent la scène où un avion ukrainien s'est écrasé à Shahedshahr, au sud-ouest de la capitale Téhéran, en Iran.
La Presse Canadienne/AP-Ebrahim Noroozi
Aurel Braun, University of Toronto
L’écrasement du vol PS752 est plus qu’une terrible tragédie. Il met en lumière une combinaison mortelle d’imprudence stupéfiante du régime et d'incompétence monumentale.
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