Kotarski: Are criticisms of the preliminary nuclear accord with Iran prescient or paranoid?
- Kotarski: Should a state ever consider negotiating with terrorist organizations? And if so, under what circumstances?
- Kotarski: What impact has Nelson Mandela had on your life?
- Kotarski: Should the Canadian government spy on economic targets abroad and share that intelligence with Canadian corporations?
The criticisms from Canada’s Conservative government are neither prescient nor paranoid, but they are revealing. Loud and noticeable statements like the one from Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird who noted that he is “deeply skeptical” of the newly-brokered accord look as if they are specifically designed to support the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has enjoyed loyal support from Canada’s Conservative government due to some combination of domestic political considerations and broader ideological proximity.
Canada’s present government simply cares far more about domestic and foreign constituencies that wish to hear that Baird is “deeply skeptical” than those more amenable to hearing Canada stressing a message closer to Ronald Reagan’s signature phrase, “trust but verify.”
