Former diplomat slams Harper's foriegn policy

[Topaz]

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/story.html?id=2736915 The former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney says its time to withdrawal from Afghanistan because we don't have the troops and the money to stay. He also said that Harper closes his eyes to Israel activity, just to get the Jewish vote in Cananda. Fowler does slam both, the Conservatives and the liberals on their polices.

[Moonbox]

So it was this guy who was advising Trudeau on how to intentionally piss off and spite our American allies and trading partners just to bump his ratings up a few notches?

Foreign Policy advisor...indeed.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Moonbox

[Muddy]

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/story.html?id=2736915 The former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney says its time to withdrawal from Afghanistan because we don't have the troops and the money to stay. He also said that Harper closes his eyes to Israel activity, just to get the Jewish vote in Cananda. Fowler does slam both, the Conservatives and the liberals on their polices.

Where has this guy been? The plan is to withdraw our soldiers in 2011. Should we run away willy nilly?

[Argus]

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/story.html?id=2736915 The former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney says its time to withdrawal from Afghanistan because we don't have the troops and the money to stay. He also said that Harper closes his eyes to Israel activity, just to get the Jewish vote in Cananda. Fowler does slam both, the Conservatives and the liberals on their polices.

Fowler is one of those Leftist academic elitists who infest Foreign Affairs. He'll probably wind up at the University of Ottawa next.

The suggestion Canada's policy on Israel is solely due to the Jewish vote is a contemptable one which doesn't stand up to even the mildest scrutiny. There are only about a quarter million Jews in all of Canada, including children. Who is going to alter a foreign policy for that? On top of that there are four times as many Muslims, and their numbers are growing incrementally - doubling every ten years. If a political party was going to whore itself to ethnic voters on the Israel issue - as the Liberals do - it would be to the Muslims. In fact, it would be much easier for Conservatives to go after the Muslim vote by turning on Israel. Much of the Muslim community is ill-at-ease with regard to many of the Liberals' social policies, such as abortion and gay marriage. They'd be much happier with the Tories if it weren't for the Israel issue.

No, the claim makes no sense at all. It's an effort at delegitimising Canada's support for Israel, and one small step up from saying it's "Jewish money" influencing them. It's a way of trying to pretend Canada has no natural principaled reason for supporting a democracy with what are largely socially advanced beliefs and values against a collection of socially backward, violently ethnophobic, homophobic and misogynistic nations ruled by iron-fisted dictators.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Argus

[eyeball]

It's a way of trying to pretend Canada has no natural principaled reason for supporting a democracy with what are largely socially advanced beliefs and values against a collection of socially backward, violently ethnophobic, homophobic and misogynistic nations ruled by iron-fisted dictators.

But we don't have any natural principled reason for supporting a democracy given that we're also allied with a collection of socially backward, violently ethnophobic, homophobic and misogynistic nations ruled by iron-fisted dictators.

I'm afraid the ship carrying this particular principle sailed a long long time ago.

[eyeball]

He said the Conservatives must "accept the reality and importance of the ironclad link between . . . continuing turmoil and volatility in the Middle East and the rise [and] growing strength of international terrorism."

So do the damn Liberals, they after all are who dragged us ever deeper into that region/quagmire by sending troops to Afghanistan. I certainly can't excuse them for claiming they only did because the Conservatives were barking them up that particular tree.

I think Liberal's have done more to advance conservatism than Conservatives have. The Liberal decision to vote for throwing people in jail for pot despite claiming they also support decriminalization is another case in point.

Edited March 28, 2010 by eyeball

[punked]

In the same speech he said the Liberals will say anything to get elected, and need to take real positions. Kinda glossed over the slam of the Liberal pander he had didn't you?

[Moonbox]

But we don't have any natural principled reason for supporting a democracy given that we're also allied with a collection of socially backward, violently ethnophobic, homophobic and misogynistic nations ruled by iron-fisted dictators.

I'm afraid the ship carrying this particular principle sailed a long long time ago.

Haha. This is so true. Well said.

[Shakeyhands]

but the Liberals and slamming someone who critized the Conservatives.... all in just a few posts!!! Well done Booster Club.

[Moonbox]

but the Liberals and slamming someone who critized the Conservatives.... all in just a few posts!!! Well done Booster Club.

The opening post was a slam against Harper. What did you expect would happen?

The guy's an idiot and his foreign policy record makes that pretty clear. We have a 2011 withdrawl plan. That's a year from now. What else does the fool expect?

[Topaz]

The US has officially asked and I knew they would when I heard some of the speech Obama gave to the US soldiers in Afghanistan. He said the US can't leave the country to the Taliban, so how far does a country go and risk more lives and deeper debt from this war? I heard tonight on Larry King that the US has spent 6 Bil on training the Afghanistan military. So if Canada takes that on, are we going to spend 6 Bil to train their military when it hasn't produce much from the US?

[bush_cheney2004]

The US has officially asked and I knew they would when I heard some of the speech Obama gave to the US soldiers in Afghanistan. He said the US can't leave the country to the Taliban, so how far does a country go and risk more lives and deeper debt from this war?

Pretty far...the USA is still in Germany, Japan, Korea, and Iraq.

I heard tonight on Larry King that the US has spent 6 Bil on training the Afghanistan military. So if Canada takes that on, are we going to spend 6 Bil to train their military when it hasn't produce much from the US?

Probably not, but how much did 29 years in Cyprus cost Canada? You're gonna miss some bitchin' "peacemaking" !

[Shakeyhands]

The opening post was a slam against Harper. What did you expect would happen?

The guy's an idiot and his foreign policy record makes that pretty clear.

Nothing Moonbox, this is exactly what we have all come to expect from the "club"

[Moonbox]

Nothing Moonbox, this is exactly what we have all come to expect from the "club"

Disregarding whatever biases people may or may not have, however, is there not reason to question this guy's credentials? Trudeau was one of the worst PM's we've ever had for foreign relations. I know it can be popular to intentionally antagonize the Americans like he and Chretien did, but it serves no purpose and only hurts us.

He accuses the Conservatives of pandering to the Jewish ethnic community for votes, but as already mentioned it's not even close to the same size as the Islamic community so that's kind of like shooting yourself in the foot. It doesn't make sense.

He's indicated we should leave Afghanistan immediately, but you would think that a former foreign policy advisor would understand the implications of abandoning your closest allies well before the commitment date you set for yourself.

There's also the fact that he was held by Al-Quaeda for 130 days. Perhaps this little tidbit has changed his view of the world a little bit??