The overseas trips of Foreign Minister Baird generate some attention and controversy. But Baird’s foreign travel is closely rivaled by—though less reported on than—that of his Cabinet colleague Jason Kenney, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration. In only the first three months of this year, Kenney visited Iraq, Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Turke… Read More
Tag Archives: David Petrasek
Baird Muddies the Waters: Canada and the International Criminal Court (Post)
The Canadian government has yet to fully explain its reason for refusing to support an initiative to persuade the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). As discussed previously, last month Foreign Minister Baird refused to join a call by almost 60 other countries—including almost all of Canada’s allies—for the Secu… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, David Petrasek, international criminal court, international justice, Israel, John Baird, Palestine, Syria
Canada Should Play the Royal Card Against Sri Lanka’s Government (Post)
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma ended his visit to Sri Lanka this week by confirming that the next biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will go ahead as planned in the country later this year. Given that the Sri Lankan government has taken no serious steps towards promised human rights and political reforms—and has i… Read More
Tags: Commonwealth, David Petrasek, human rights, Queen Elizabeth, Sri Lanka, Stephen Harper
Misinterpreting Mali: The Uses and Abuses of R2P (Post)
As argued in this space recently, there are sound legal and political justifications for the intervention of French and West African troops in northern Mali. Further, the apparent achievements of the operation so far lend support to those who argue it is feasible to defeat the Islamist insurgency. But lasting success will depend on the extent to which the r… Read More
Tags: David Petrasek, France, humanitarian intervention, Islamism, Mali, Responsibility to Protect, Syria, UN Security Council
Canada Abandons International Justice Effort in Syria (Post)
In the past week, amidst the crisis in Mali and the hostage crisis at the gas plant in southern Algeria, the world’s attention shifted away from the ongoing bloodshed in Syria. This perhaps explains how the Canadian media missed what appears to be a major, and disturbing, shift in our policy towards Syria. Last week, Canada declined to join with dozens of othe… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, David Petrasek, international criminal court, international justice, John Baird, Syria, UN Security Council
To those of us deeply skeptical of the deployment of Western military force in the developing world, the French intervention in Mali in recent days poses something of a dilemma. It appears to be legally and militarily justified, and enjoys strong local and regional support. Yet at the same time, it appears to be based on the same assumptions about Western ai… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Al-Quaeda, David Petrasek, France, intervention, Islamism, Mali, UN Security Council
Principle or Prejudice? Canada’s Misguided Denial of Palestinian Statehood (Post)
Prime Minister Harper tweeted on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had called to thank him for Canada’s “friendship and principled position this week at the UN”. The friendship may be obvious, but one searches in vain for the principle at stake that compelled Canada to vote against non-member observer state status for Palestine. It c… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, David Petrasek, Israel, John Baird, Palestine, Stephen Harper, United Nations
Canoes, Maple Syrup and Tilley Hats: The Tory Vision for Canada’s Trading Future? (Post)
‘Hewers of wood and drawers of water’ – a familiar and shorthand description for Canadians’ historical economic bias towards natural resources, and a phrase used pejoratively to describe a ‘brand’ that we need to shed to compete in a global economy. While the Harper government has trumpeted Canada as an energy “superpower”, and sought new export markets… Read More
Tags: Canada, David Petrasek, Europe, international trade, Stephen Harper
In a speech last week to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Minister John Baird set out the priority he attaches to human rights in Canadian foreign policy. That Minister Baird prioritizes human rights is hardly new: his speeches and public statements repeat, mantra-like, the Harper government’s commitment to defend and promote “freedo… Read More
Tags: Canadian foreign policy, David Petrasek, human rights, John Baird, multilateralism, Stephen Harper
Will Lakhdar Brahimi’s Hard-Nosed Mediation Save Syria? (Post)
The arrival of Lakhdar Brahimi in Syria late last week drew little media attention. But his trip, and the larger mission of which it is a part, carry enormous consequences. Brahimi is the envoy appointed jointly by the UN and the Arab League to find a negotiated solution to the civil war in Syria. He takes over the mandate held by former UN Secretary-General Kof… Read More
Tags: David Petrasek, Lakdhar Brahimi, negotiation, peacemaking, Syria, United Nations
