Canadian Foreign Policy & Affairs II

[Armchair Admiral]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Wore the uniform or worked as a public servant? There's a difference between DND and the CAF. Much as DND Public Servants like to think otherwise.

Also, I'll say this as respectfully as possible. But 15 years ago is a lifetime given the organizational, doctrinal and technological changes that have happened since.



For some with so much experience you should know that it's not random people that maintain public webpages. You should also know how little priority is given to public unit pages since PAFFOs tend to brief the media directly.

Yeah, being out of the loop for 15 years is precisely why I'm asking... The only people I still know from that part of my life are out of the loop too.

Not sure why you're being so evasive about this, seems like you could have just linked a press release of some kind in the time it took you to write that reply? Stories about the Nepal mission were the most recent thing I could find online..

[Armchair Admiral]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

An obligation is binding. The 2% is more of a political commitment.

Ok, but making it binding would certainly be a way of demonstrating Canada's commitment, would it not?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

So in effect, there's no obligation to cut emissions?

This is kinda my point. Sans penalties, the line between "obligation" and "political commitment" is unclear. One could argue there's greater implied penalties for not meeting NATO defence obligations than failing to meet climate targets.

Like any legal document it depends how it is written.

For example, this text from the Allied peace treaty with Italy after WW2 includes clear obligations and a clear settlement procedure.


Italy shall take all necessary steps to ensure the apprehension and surrender for trial of:

a.
Persons accused of having committed, ordered or abetted war crimes and crimes against peace or humanity;

b.
Nationals of any Allied or Associated Power accused of having violated their national law by treason or collaboration with the enemy during the war.

2.
At the request of the United Nations Government concerned, Italy shall likewise make available as witnesses persons within its jurisdiction, whose evidence is required for the trial of the persons referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

3.
Any disagreement concerning the application of the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall be referred by any of the Governments concerned to the Ambassadors in Rome of the Soviet Union, of the United Kingdom, of the United States of America, and of France, who will reach agreement with regard to the difficulty.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

So in effect, there's no obligation to cut emissions?

This is kinda my point. Sans penalties, the line between "obligation" and "political commitment" is unclear. One could argue there's greater implied penalties for not meeting NATO defence obligations than failing to meet climate targets.

Political consequences can exceed legal consequences, in international affairs as in life.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

She lived in Canada from 12-18. Those are pretty critical years. From 1976- 82. That's a lot of our key history. Especially in Quebec. Now neither parent was from there and she severed all ties so it's very much long ago but the general rule is you are from where you graduated high school so it's not like Mitt Romney had a cottage there or something it is a real connection.

I’m calling BS. If she knows anything about Canada it’s the West Island of Montreal and that’s it. If she becomes POTUS her loyalties lie with the US and not Canada.
I wish this country would grow the hell up and realize nobody is going to grant us any favours just because they may have lived here for bit. It’s nauseating that our chattering classes embarrass us in this way.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

I’m calling BS. If she knows anything about Canada it’s the West Island of Montreal and that’s it. If she becomes POTUS her loyalties lie with the US and not Canada.
I wish this country would grow the hell up and realize nobody is going to grant us any favours just because they may have lived here for bit. It’s nauseating that our chattering classes embarrass us in this way.

It's not about "favours", it is about the person in power actually knowing something about our country rather than being totally ignorant (cough, Trump, cough) and making decisions accordingly.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by whatnext

It's not about "favours", it is about the person in power actually knowing something about our country rather than being totally ignorant (cough, Trump, cough) and making decisions accordingly.

She was in a Montréal high school as a teenager. She knows SFA about the rest of Canada. Which is more than Trump but not near as much as you think.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

I’m calling BS. If she knows anything about Canada it’s the West Island of Montreal and that’s it. If she becomes POTUS her loyalties lie with the US and not Canada.
I wish this country would grow the hell up and realize nobody is going to grant us any favours just because they may have lived here for bit. It’s nauseating that our chattering classes embarrass us in this way.

No harm in having a U.S. President well disposed toward Canada. Obviously, the loyalty is toward the USA, but, you know, every twitch and grunt.

[whatnext]

Two fascist dictators uniting to harass the borders of our airspace and yet La Joly Madame has been trotting over to one of them to kowtow.

Canada, U.S. scramble fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese bombers patrolling near Alaska
GUY FAULCONBRIDGE
MOSCOW/BEIJING
REUTERS
PUBLISHED YESTERDAY

Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable strategic bombers patrolled near the U.S. state of Alaska in the North Pacific and Arctic on Thursday, the two countries said, a move that prompted the United States and Canada to scramble fighter jets.

Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” strategic bombers and Chinese Xi'an H-6 strategic bombers took part in patrols over the Chukchi and Bering seas and the North Pacific, Russia’s defence ministry said.

“During the flight, Russian and Chinese crews co-operated in the new area of joint operations during all stages of the air patrol,” the Russian ministry said in a statement....

....The joint patrol had deepened strategic mutual trust and co-ordination between the two militaries, a spokesperson for China’s defence ministry said....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...n-and-chinese/

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

No harm in having a U.S. President well disposed toward Canada. Obviously, the loyalty is toward the USA, but, you know, every twitch and grunt.

She knows at best, and from Thirty some years ago. a small English enclave in a very tumultuous time in Quebec history. Obama's sister I think would know more about Canada and from a "Those Canadians do things differently and I like Coffee Crisps" type of discourse.

Americans will always be Americans.First.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Two fascist dictators uniting to harass the borders of our airspace and yet La Joly Madame has been trotting over to one of them to kowtow.

Canada, U.S. scramble fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese bombers patrolling near Alaska
GUY FAULCONBRIDGE
MOSCOW/BEIJING
REUTERS
PUBLISHED YESTERDAY

Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable strategic bombers patrolled near the U.S. state of Alaska in the North Pacific and Arctic on Thursday, the two countries said, a move that prompted the United States and Canada to scramble fighter jets.

Russian Tu-95MS “Bear” strategic bombers and Chinese Xi'an H-6 strategic bombers took part in patrols over the Chukchi and Bering seas and the North Pacific, Russia’s defence ministry said.

“During the flight, Russian and Chinese crews co-operated in the new area of joint operations during all stages of the air patrol,” the Russian ministry said in a statement....

....The joint patrol had deepened strategic mutual trust and co-ordination between the two militaries, a spokesperson for China’s defence ministry said....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...n-and-chinese/

We're still in the gradual phase. I suspect at some point it's going to happen all at once. Maybe we're still a few decades away? Who knows?

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ostcount=12982

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

She knows at best, and from Thirty some years ago. a small English enclave in a very tumultuous time in Quebec history. Obama's sister I think would know more about Canada and from a "Those Canadians do things differently and I like Coffee Crisps" type of discourse.

Americans will always be Americans.First.

A bit of an assumption there. And yes, American Presidents will always be American first (last, and always), although, in the current contest, we can see how differently that can be interpreted.

[MonctonRad]

I have no doubt that Kamala Harris will be much better versed on Canada than just about any other American president. Most Americans just have a vague idea that Canada exists, and is not just another American state.

The question is whether or not this will have any effect on her foreign policy and on trade relations. Canada is often forgotten about in foreign policy terms (probably a good thing), unless we can offer the Americans a useful function such as a relatively neutral intermediary in discussions with another nation. One would hope that her time here would give her some insight that the two national economies are deeply intertwined, and, as such, we have to be given special consideration in the development of any new protectionist trade policies.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

A bit of an assumption there. And yes, American Presidents will always be American first (last, and always), although, in the current contest, we can see how differently that can be interpreted.

I mean duh of course she will be American first. The point is she has a pretty strong background on Canada. The idea she only knows one city is kind of weird. No she didn't live in all 10 provinces but most of our leadership hasn't spent time outside of the Montreal Toronto Ottawa triangle either.

Of course there is also probably overconfidence that frankly a lot of us who have lived a few years in the US also have about understanding the US. But frankly she would also have that only having lived in San Francisco.