Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Iran and is expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced on Friday.
This is a mistake.
It’s not that Minister Baird is wrong in categorizing Iran as a terrorist state — in fact this is quite correct. It’s wrong because this is an enemy that can cause the most damage in the Middle East and around the world.
No country can afford not to continuously attempt to have open dialogue with them.
As well, we are the country of common sense. A former prime minister acted as a mediator to resolve the Suez Crisis in 1956 and one year later Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his good works. As Canadians we can act as the trusted middle person to try to resolve the current dispute with Iran — Israel and the US. Closing our embassy precludes that opportunity.
The Harper Government believes that moving in our current direction will send a clear message and I am sure it will — that Canada is no longer a country open to meditative international activism but rather the George W. Bush notion that ‘you are evil and thus we will turn our backs on you.’ As much as I would like to agree with Mr. Harper, we can ill afford to represent our interests in such a simplistic foreign affairs prescriptive.
We must act in a fashion that represents our interests and the best outcomes for the world this can only be through diplomatic meditative processes. This does not occur by saying I am taking my ball and going home, I will not play ball with you in any form any longer. How sophisticated of you Minister Baird!
In the world of international diplomacy, the political realism is that there is no such concept as absolute good and absolute evil. Risk must be minimized and benefits must be maximized. It will be based on the notion of political realism that Iranian behaviour is a threat to global peace. There is a moral initiative to neutralize the power that a nuclear bomb will give them.
The actors involved need a trusted actor who can act as a catalyst to assist in mediating issues between the parties involved in the dispute. Canada has acted in the past in this fashion and allowed for the conditions to continue to act in that fashion. But Mr. Baird’s actions have closed the door on that possibility. This goes against the Canadian values of attempting to achieve peace where others could not.
As former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once stated: “No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be an enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice. … No nation’s security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow-nations.”
ALAN LEVY
Brandon
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition September 11, 2012
We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.
You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.
Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.
The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Iran and is expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced on Friday.
This is a mistake.
Already subscribed? Login to view full article.
Not yet a subscriber? Click Here to Signup
Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Iran and is expelling Iranian diplomats from Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced on Friday.
This is a mistake.
A subscription to the Brandon Sun Newspaper is required to view this article. Please update your user information if you are already a newspaper subscriber.
Most Popular
Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 1 Comments
You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Posted by:Bill the Needle
September 11, 2012 at 9:41 PM
North Korea is belligerent and has a major destabilizing influence in East asia. Iran does much the same in the middle east. Does the writer think we should have diplomatic relations with North Korea as well?