Italy invaded Canada decades ago, after the last war, and enriched our country significantly in every field of activity, not least providing good parliamentarians and hockey players. Give people a chance, be fair and tell the truth, and they do wonderfully.

As for your fun-shot, Italian pilots fought bravely against ours in the Second, considering equipment and general lack of leadership. It all comes down to leadership. Our bravest in the Middle East would have had the jihadists on the run long ago if they knew exactly who and what they were sacrificing their lives for.

Canada is fortunate "training" the hard-fighting Kurds---they're actually in their front lines---but the Kurds are fighting to make a country for themselves, killing jihadists just a part of it. Personal and geopolitical mess, and seems a lot to ask our soldiers to give their lives for. I become more pacifist by the day.