Ignatieff may or may not have played a role. In any case it was a silly move.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Gurstein Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2010 9:19 PM To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION' Subject: [Futurework] FW: [Caidc-rccdi] The Economist on Canada's Bid for the Security Council -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pamela Branch Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 4:49 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Caidc-rccdi] The Economist on Canada's Bid for the Security Council Thanks to member Hubert LeBlanc who thought CAIDC Members would be interested in the following. > Canada's foreign policy Snubbed > > Better at doughnuts than diplomacy > > > Oct 14th 2010 | Ottawa > > > IN 2003 Bono, a rock star and poverty campaigner, proclaimed that The > world needs more Canada. This week, the world decided it didnt. On > October 12th Canada lost its bid for a rotating seat on the United Nations > Security Council, for the first time since the organisation was founded in > 1945. That Germany was preferred was acceptable; not so, being passed over > in favour of Portugal. > > > Stephen Harpers Conservative government blamed the opposition leader, > Michael Ignatieff, for the snub, because he had suggested that Canada did > not deserve the seat. But many countries apparently share Mr Ignatieffs > dislike of Mr Harpers foreign policy. This has featured outspoken support > of Israels hardline government, alienating the Muslim countries that make > up a third of the UNs membership. Mr Harper has also made few friends in > Africa (where he has closed embassies), or in Europe and among island > states (with his feeble policy on climate change). > > > He came to power in 2006 sceptical of Canadas traditional multilateralism > (a weak-nation strategy, he said) and of the UN itself. Last year he > raised eyebrows by choosing to inaugurate a doughnut-innovation centre > rather than attend the UN General Assembly. His countrys commitment to UN > peacekeeping missions, for which a former Liberal prime minister once won a > Nobel prize, declined sharply under the previous government and has not > increased under Mr Harper. > > > So why bother to seek a Security Council seat? The Conservatives seem now > to realise that strong links to the United States are no longer enough in a > changing world. Canada is still a big UN paymaster. As host of the G8 > summit this year, it pushed for more aid for maternal and child health in > poor countries. But its overtures to China and India came too late to sway > the vote. > > > The snub has handed Mr Harpers opponents a club with which to beat him. > Jean Chrétien, a former Liberal prime minister, noted acidly that In > Canada, we have to realise that what you do has consequences. Pollsters > say the public attach little importance to a UN seat. But this was supposed > to be a year in which Canada would figure large on the world stage. It > started with the winter Olympics in Vancouver and the economys swift > recovery from recession, and continued with hosting the G8 and G20 summits. > It seems to have ended early. > >
_______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
