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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Nestruck's leftism
Oh dear. J. Kelly Nestruck, my estimable colleague, is really letting his left flank run wild these days.
First he complained about a New York museum jacking up its admission fee from $12 to $20, because "access to great art should be a basic human right." Now he's upset about the article from Wednesday's New York Times I mentioned below.
I have many problems with Kelly's conservative-bashing analysis, but this aroused the strongest feelings:
The truth is that Canada remains very respected in the world, though mainly now because of domestic policy rather than foreign policy. Why, for example, did 43 North Koreans scale the wall to the Canadian Embassy today desperately seeking asylum? Because we are still a beacon of hope to the world, folks.
First of all, Canada is not respected in the world, insofar as other governments are concerned. We are ignored. That's because have no clout: no military and no diplomatic muscle to flex. That is why Iran ran roughshod over us in the Zahra Kazemi case, the journalist murdered while being interrogated in Iran. The mad mullahs knew full well that Canada would do nothing to retaliate for their heinous killing of our citizen.
The people in the world who hate the U.S. most -- the populations of the Middle East, Old Europe and parts of Asia -- might like Canada simply because we are not the U.S. and don't toe the American line. Do they really like us for what we are? I'm not entirely sure. But is being "not the U.S." really something to be proud of? What are we then? I don't find simply being defined based on what we're not very pleasing.
Second, the reason the North Koreans were jumping the fence at the embassy has nothing to do with us being a "beacon of hope." While I admire the romanticism of such a claim, the reason they picked us is because they know we're easy to get into. Canada has a rep throughout the world for being a refugee dumping ground. (That's one thing I'm proud of, actually. I say, bring them over! We should open up the country to as many North Koreans as possible who can escape Kim Jong Il's gulags.)
People like Bliss, Cohen and Bercuson are not desparing because the Tories lost the election. They are upset because they see Canada being left behind in the world. Canada has contributed much to international affairs over the years, and much of it we can no longer do. They do not dream of returning to some iconic past, but of creating a better Canada in the future that can at least hold its own, defend itself, and remain a sovereign nation.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:27 AM
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