Outsourcing Canada's foreign policy !
Canada's
surprise decision last week to break diplomatic relations with Iran and close
its embassy in Tehran has sparked fierce criticism at home and abroad, with
many commentators calling the move ill-conceived
The decision was announced by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok, Russia, on
Friday, saying Iran had become a threat to global peace. Ottawa also ordered
all Iranian diplomats in Canada to leave the country within five days.
Iran has vowed to retaliate, and as a first move, cancelled a scheduled visit to Canada by its parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani. Larijani also scoffed at the decision, saying the severance of ties was a desperate move by Canada. "The cheap behaviour of the Canadian government which was shown in an inexperienced manner indicates that they are in a state of confusion after seeing a gathering of a majority of the world states in Tehran (during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in late August)," Larijani told Iran's parliament Sunday.
His remarks were published by the Fars News Agency.
Larijani may be right. Middle East expert Prof James Devine of Mount Allison University told CBC News that the summit had demonstrated that Iran was not as isolated as the West would hope. He said Canada may be trying to send a symbolic message to Iran after the summit that they should not conclude that their isolation is over or that they can escape western pressure.
Other critics were even more scathing.
"This decision is perhaps one of the most ill-conceived ideas in modern history. At least when the Americans and British cut ties, they had good reason," wrote Bryan Gibson of London School of Economics in the Globe and Mail newspaper. Analysts also noted that closing an embassy is rarely done even at times of war. The Canadian diplomat who helped six Americans escape during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis said he was surprised by the action. "I really can't see the rationale of this move," former ambassador Kenneth Taylor told CTV News.
One analyst had harsh words for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government. "Canada appears to have a new foreign minister. His name is Benjamin Netanyahu. His day job may be prime minister of Israel, but Canada's abrupt actions against Iran seem to confirm that the Harper government's outsourcing of Canada's Middle East policy to Jerusalem is now complete," wrote commentator Tony Burman in the Toronto Star. He said there was little else to conclude from what he called Canada's unwise decision to move unilaterally on Iran.
The Conservative government under Harper has allied closely with Israel in recent years, dismaying many Canadians for giving up even the semblance of neutrality on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. The relations between Canada and Iran have been poor for many years and Ottawa's latest decision is unlikely to have any impact on Iran. "Canada has not so much economic and political power and credibility on the international scene therefore, cutting our ties with them is not so much important," the Fars News Agency quoted legislator Zohreh Tabibzadeh as saying Sunday.
However, Canada is home to a large number of Iranian immigrants and many have expressed fears that Ottawa's action might hurt them. (Bernama)
Iran has vowed to retaliate, and as a first move, cancelled a scheduled visit to Canada by its parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani. Larijani also scoffed at the decision, saying the severance of ties was a desperate move by Canada. "The cheap behaviour of the Canadian government which was shown in an inexperienced manner indicates that they are in a state of confusion after seeing a gathering of a majority of the world states in Tehran (during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in late August)," Larijani told Iran's parliament Sunday.
His remarks were published by the Fars News Agency.
Larijani may be right. Middle East expert Prof James Devine of Mount Allison University told CBC News that the summit had demonstrated that Iran was not as isolated as the West would hope. He said Canada may be trying to send a symbolic message to Iran after the summit that they should not conclude that their isolation is over or that they can escape western pressure.
Other critics were even more scathing.
"This decision is perhaps one of the most ill-conceived ideas in modern history. At least when the Americans and British cut ties, they had good reason," wrote Bryan Gibson of London School of Economics in the Globe and Mail newspaper. Analysts also noted that closing an embassy is rarely done even at times of war. The Canadian diplomat who helped six Americans escape during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis said he was surprised by the action. "I really can't see the rationale of this move," former ambassador Kenneth Taylor told CTV News.
One analyst had harsh words for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government. "Canada appears to have a new foreign minister. His name is Benjamin Netanyahu. His day job may be prime minister of Israel, but Canada's abrupt actions against Iran seem to confirm that the Harper government's outsourcing of Canada's Middle East policy to Jerusalem is now complete," wrote commentator Tony Burman in the Toronto Star. He said there was little else to conclude from what he called Canada's unwise decision to move unilaterally on Iran.
The Conservative government under Harper has allied closely with Israel in recent years, dismaying many Canadians for giving up even the semblance of neutrality on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. The relations between Canada and Iran have been poor for many years and Ottawa's latest decision is unlikely to have any impact on Iran. "Canada has not so much economic and political power and credibility on the international scene therefore, cutting our ties with them is not so much important," the Fars News Agency quoted legislator Zohreh Tabibzadeh as saying Sunday.
However, Canada is home to a large number of Iranian immigrants and many have expressed fears that Ottawa's action might hurt them. (Bernama)
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