Bei Souveränität geht es nicht nur um militärische Stärke: Schwache Allianzen, wackelige Diplomatie und Fehltritte der Geheimdienste schwächen Kanadas internationales Ansehen

Alliances are two way relationships (or multi-way relationships), where the parties involved agree to help one another solve their respective problems.

Decades of peace and open trade have let Canada basically forget about its alliances, as it had no obvious problems it needed help solving.

This has led to a shift in popular foreign policy debate from „what problems do we have, who can help us, and how can we help them solve their problems to allow a mutual relationship“? to „Who should we scold and/or reduce the trade that 0.2% of their economy relies upon, and with what language?“

We have become a country of empty moralisers who have chosen learned incompetence at helping other countries, especially our allies, solve their problems.

Carney has made some good first steps, but actually fixing this effective absence from our most important relationships will take time and, more importantly, buy in from Canadians from at least the two largest parties (though that this article was posted by someone with a team Orange tag is very heartening. Getting the NDP on board would be unlikely but extremely helpful).

This article hits at some of the big points: major potential allies need a hedge for energy and resources against American, Chinese, Russian and Middle Eastern problems. Canada is in a place to provide some of that.

Europe has very serious and immediate security problems that go well beyond Ukraine. North and Sahel Africa remain massive security problems for them, as does any war disrupting middle eastern energy.

Asia likewise is desperate for military partners as their collapsing demographics make staffing their militaries harder each year, and export markets for their manufactured goods as demographic collapse wipes out their domestic markets.

The entire world has a problem from relying on China for mineral refining operations.

There are a host of ways for us to become valuable again. But it has to start with changing the core question we ask ourselves when we talk about FP. We need to stop being moralisers, and return to being problem solvers.

Well, with JT gone, and Trump rattling everyone’s cages, I hope Carney can make something of the mess we’re in. Although it’ll take more than the amount of time we have right now. Or even one term, if we’re being honest with ourselves.

> The public can be excused for not knowing that Canada has a postwar history of effective and influential diplomacy; you never hear of it in Parliament and seldom read of it in the press. But the examples are many of pivotal diplomatic interventions where Canada punched well above its economic weight.

Uh oh. Last time I heard about „punching above our weight“ in the Walrus was when some yob at the MacDonald-Laurier described Canada’s participation in Afghanistan.

Yes, I remember now, with the help of google.

> While many NATO members deployed to relatively quiet areas of Afghanistan and restricted their forces from risky operations, Canada punched above its weight and took on a dangerous mission. The CF defeated major Taliban offensives in Kandahar, and successfully preserved the region from enemy control. Together with the UK and Denmark, Canada paid a relatively high price in casualties.
https://natoassociation.ca/canadas-war-in-afghanistan-lessons-learned/

Run away, my fellow Canadians, when you hear this phase.