Internet Famous! Canadian International Council Twitterati List

The Canadian International Council has included me on their list of Canadian Foreign Policy tweeters. I'm really honoured to be in fantastic company. Lots of great names and worthy follows. They did a great job of putting the list together - and including academics - a category missing from the Foreign Policy list!

Check it out and follow away!

Confusing "bold" with "leadership" and "listening" with "agreement": It's still amateur hour for the Conservatives

Chief Political Advisor to FM John Baird

What is leadership at the UN? Apparently it’s storming out of things when people we don’t like are there.
Canada has made the decision that it will “boycott” the UN Conference on Disarmament while North Korea is the chair.

Does it make sense that North Korea is the chair? No. Of course it doesn’t. It’s a state that has actively engaged in illegal trade and development of weapon, constantly threatens its neighbours and is a threat to international security.

So Canada has announced that it will boycott the meetings (until the middle of August due to the UN CD’s bizarre rules).

On the surface, this is a noble decision. We believe in the UN as a functional agency that can bring about real change – we will not tolerate that which makes a mockery of our vision of it. After all, who doesn’t cringe when they see Syria or Libya take control of various human rights bodies. It has also garnered a lot of international attention.

But is this leadership?

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Missing the Mark: Worst argument against the SDF ever?

The Mark has a particularly badly informed article by Laura Beach on corporate (*gasp!*) funding of universities in Canada. She takes particular issue with SDF funding (which is probably going to be cut in the next budget anyway)

The main channel for military funding to social and political science departments is the Security Defence Forum (SDF). Established during the Cold War by DND, the SDF exists to distribute department funds to Canadian political and social science departments through “centres of expertise.” In return for funding, centres are expected to produce academic articles, conduct media interviews, publish Op-Ed articles, participate in conferences, and host a number of events to reach out to the public. The impartiality of funding allocation for research topics is seriously questionable, and casts doubt on the objectivity and academic freedom of these centres.

Beach's proof? Someone with corporate ties sits on the SDF board!

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Less than Zero: Canada and the Arab Spring (and why it matters, darn it!)

Couldn't we at least send face paint?

Yesterday I pontificated on and speculated a bit about Canada and the Arab Spring. The main points of my rant argument were:

• Canada has been slower than its allies to express support for the Arab Spring
• Canada has not articulated any kind of policy towards the Arab Spring despite its leadership in the Libyan mission.
• Canada should express unequivocal support for peaceful democratic transition, condemn attacks and violence against peaceful protesters and feel free to make its views known if it would seem that any of these transitions take on an illiberal/dangerous character.

Anything else that Canada could contribute in terms of money or support would be good. And it was speculated yesterday that Harper would lay out more of a vision as to what Canada’s response would be.

So what happened? 

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Baird as FM Reports: A first overly-emotional reaction (Ohpleasegodno.)

Even with syphilis, this bear may have been a better choice.

I'm due for a post on the election (coming!) but it would seem that the Globe and Mail is reporting that John Baird will be named the new Minister of Foreign Affairs...

If Canada wanted someone to make us more likable to an international community that has not exactly been super impressed with us lately, surely there must have been a syphilis-ridden half dead polar bear available?

For non-Canucks, this is like that time when the George W. Bush administration put John Bolton at the UN. Baird will make up for the lack of offensive facial hair with even less tact and diplomatic skills.

The only good news I can think about right now is that Harper seems to like and trusts Baird So this may actually be good for DFAIT - a symbol that a terribly used/neglected ministry might be getting attention.

At the same time, Harper likes Baird because he's a laser cannon that's been used to shout out dissent and find and crush opposition with the gentle touch of the Iranian security forces. It may mean that Harper wants to do something big, knows there is going to be a lot of dissent (the new "Office of Religious Freedom?!", even tougher stance on Israel/Palestine?) and will need someone to calm the masses... with screaming and hurled abuse.

Dear international community. Please ignore us for the next 2.5 years. There will be nothing you want to see here.

The 2011 Canadian Election: Lessons Learned and Mindless Amateur Speculation

Canadian democracy rests in this man's hands.

Cross-posted at Duck of Minerva. Because I like bothering the 95.6% non-Canadians on that site. 

Yesterday I provided a fully superficial background and survey of developments regarding the 2011 Canadian Election. The short version is 1) We’ve had a series of minority governments. 2) Stephen Harper probably thought he could get a majority, and now that does not seem likely though it is still possible. 3) The NDP has ‘surged’, probably at the Liberal’s expense, but also very much at the expense of the Quebec nationalist/separatist Bloc Party and possibly even that of the Tories (who may have expected disappointed Liberals to flock right rather than left.)

In other words – no one has any idea what is going to happen. ThreeHundredandEight has a post on what would happen if the parties achieved their ‘vote ceiling’ ie) how many seats they would get if everyone who says they are going to vote for them actually does. So a majority government for the Tories is still possible (they have a pretty dedicated party followers. One might say rabid, but that is unkind. Just don’t date any...)

So, based on the fact that we are in electoral terra incognita if the polls are right, what can we possibly say we have learned from the election?

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Is an “Office of Religious Freedom” really a good idea?

Today Stephen Harper announced that his government would support an “Office of Religious Freedom” in DFAIT.

Perhaps the biggest foreign-policy promise is to track religious freedoms in other countries.
The Conservatives are promising to establish a $5-million office of religious freedom within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to monitor religious freedom around the world “as a key objective of Canadian foreign policy.”

I’ve mixed feelings about this. I believe that religious freedom is important as a fundamental human right. People should be allowed to express their faith (or non-faith). And supporting human rights is a good and traditional Canadian foreign policy,

However, I wonder if this is really a good idea or in Canada’s national interest?

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